Queen of France. Born in Erfurt, Saxony in 518; died Poitiers, France in 587. She was the daughter of King Berthachar of Thuringia, and was given to Clotaire I as a hostage after the conquest of her country in 531. In 540, Clotaire made her his wife against her will. After the death of her brother, she sought refuge with Saint Medardus, Bishop of Vermandois, from whom she received the nun's veil. She founded the convent of the Holy Cross, near Poitiers, adopting the rule of Saint Caesarius of Arles. She remained there for 30 years. The poet Fortunatus, with whom she enjoyed an ideal friendship, composed his hymn Vexilla Regis in her honor. Patroness of Poitiers. Represented receiving an apparition of Our Lord. Relics burned by the Calvinists in 1562. Feast, August 13,.