Gisela (c. 753–807)

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Gisela (c. 753–807)

Saint. Name variations: Isberge. Born around 753; died about 807; daughter of Bertha (719–783) and Pippin also seen as Pepin III the Short (715–768), mayor of Neustria (r. 741), king of the Franks (r. 747–768); sister of Charlemagne, king of the Franks (r. 768–814), Holy Roman emperor (r. 800–814); aunt of Gisela of Chelles (b. 781); some sources claim she married; children: some sources cite Rowland.

The daughter of Bertha and Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, Gisela was also the goddaughter of Pope Stephen II, who had been a guest of Pepin on a visit to France when Gisela was born in 753. She grew up at Aire in Artois where she met St. Venantius who was living there as a hermit. It was Venantius who advised her to remain chaste as an offering to God. Some sources claim that Gisela turned down all proposals, the first of which came from Constantine Copronyme, whose views ran contrary to those of her father. Another came from a Welsh or Scottish prince. When Pepin died, Bertha urged her daughter to marry a son of the king of the Lombards. Again, Gisela is said to have refused. Instead, she founded a Benedictine abbey at Aire and became a nun. She lived there for 30 years and was visited occasionally by her brother Charlemagne, king of the Franks. Her feast day is May 21.