St. Adelheid with bread and ship, wood

This magnificent statue does justice to a very special saint. Adelheid is one of the most important women of the 10th century. In 952, she was crowned German Empress by Pope John XII in Rome. The daughter of a Burgundian king, she founded numerous monasteries in her lifetime and promoted the Cluny reform movement, which opposed the decline of monastic customs. When she died in 999, the whole of Europe is said to have mourned her death. Enjoy the classic depiction of the "most imperial of empresses", which shows her in princely garb with a crown and her attribute, the ship. Adelheid is also said to have escaped from captivity on a fishing boat at a young age. She is also holding a loaf of bread in her hand as a sign of her great charity.