Seaxburh of Ely
queen of King Eorcenberht of Kent, abbess, and saint of the Christian Church (640-699)
Feast: 6 July (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Sexburga, daughter of King Anna of the East Angles and sister of St Etheldreda, married King Earconbert of Kent and had four children, two of whom became saints. After his death in 664 she founded the Abbey of Minster in Sheppey.
She then went to Ely under her sister, succeeded her as abbess about 679, and in 695 enshrined St Etheldreda's relics. She died about 699 and was buried at Ely.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A queen who became an abbess, from a family of saints.
Connected on this site
- Ermenilda of Ely Saint Child
- Jurmin Saint Brother or sister“As such, he was the brother of saints Seaxburh of Ely, Æthelthryth, and Æthelburh of Faremoutiers.” — Wikipedia
- Sæthryth Saint Brother or sister
- Wihtburh Saint Brother or sister
- Æthelburh of Faremoutiers Saint Brother or sister
- Æthelthryth Saint Brother or sister“She was a daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia, and her siblings were Wendreda and Seaxburh of Ely, both of whom eventually retired from secular life and founded abbeys.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Sexburga
- Wikidata Q269875 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Seaxburh of Ely (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.