Saint Genevieve

Also known as

• Genovefa

Memorial

• 3 January

Profile

When she was seven years old, Genevieve met Saint Germanus of Auxerre on his way to England. Germain befriended her because of her insistence on wanting to live her life for God, and prophesied her future sanctity. She took the veil at age 15. Prophesied invasions and disasters for Paris. Could read consciences and calm the possessed. When Paris was besieged by the Franks, she encouraged its defense, organized prayers for God‘s protection of the city, and led an expedition for food to relieve the siege. Caused a church to be built on the tomb of Saint Denis. In 1129, the procession of her relics through Paris is believed to have ended an epidemic.

Born

• 422 at Nanterre near Paris, France

Died

• 500 at Paris, France
• interred in the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Paris
• relics destroyed in 1871

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Patronage

• against plague
• against disasters
• against fever
• Paris, France
• WACs
• Women’s Army Corps

Representation

• bread (from feeding the people)
• candle
• cattle
• girl restoring eyesight to her mother
• keys
• shepherdess holding a candle which the devil is trying to extinguish and angels are helping to protect
• shepherdess with a coin suspended around her neck

Images

• Gallery of images of Saint Genevieve

Storefront

• medals and pendants

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Encyclopedia, by Andrew MacErlean
• Ecole Glossary, by Karen Rae Keck
• Katherine Rabenstein
• Golden Legend
• Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
• Patron Saints for Girls
• Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints
• Pictorial Lives of the Saints
• Short Lives of the Saints, by E C Donnelly

MLA Citation

• “Saint Genevieve“. Saints.SQPN.com. 11 April 2013. Web. 19 June 2013. <>