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Hrotsvitha
German secular canoness, dramatist, and poet
SaintResearchedEast FranciaBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 18 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
935
Died
968
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim, a nun of the tenth century and the first German poetess, entered the convent young and was trained by Abbess Gerberg, who hoped her gift would 'contribute something to the glory of God'.
She wrote legends of saints and dramas celebrating chastity and martyrdom. She died about 1002.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe how he came to be honoured as a saint.
Why that counted as sanctity
A nun who used her poetry for the glory of God.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Hroswitha
- Wikidata Q170248 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Hrotsvitha (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.