Saint Gertrude of Nivelles Day is observed on March 17 She is widely considered the Patron Saint of travelers Most of the information about her is mentioned in an old French book called “Vita,” written by an unknown author The full title of the book is “Vita Sanctae Geretrudis and the Additamentum Nivialense de Fuilano.” Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of the towns of ‘Geertruidenberg,’ ‘Breda,’ and ‘Bergen-op-Zoom’ in North Brabant Gertrude was born around the year 626 in present-day Belgium into a wealthy and political family Gertrude’s father is the ‘Pepin of Landen’ and he was instrumental in installing Dagobert The period was such that Christianity was not as common as it is today was an important historical figure in the lives of Gertrude and her mother There are very few historical records about Gertrude’s early life It is clear that her father died somewhere between the years 640 and 650 and her mother had to build a monastery and choose religious life This helped Gertrude avoid further suitors who were after her family’s fortune and political power Itta died around 652 and Gertrude took over the monastery She concentrated much of her time on the care of the sick Her reputation and power grew during her short time as an abbess The book “Vita” attributes two miracles to the divine nature of Gertrude The first miracle is a vision that lasted for an hour in which Gertrude saw a flaming pellucid sphere descending above her A second miracle is an event where some sailors escape from a storm and a giant sea monster by crying out to Gertrude Her life of charity and fasting soon caught up with her at a very young age She exhausted her body through regular fasting Her holy life and the fragrance from her dead body helped in the immediate canonization of Gertrude of Nivelles and she was recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church Gertrude resigns from the position of the abbess and appoints her niece Wulfetrud as the new abbess The book “Vita Sanctae Gertrudis” — which tells the story of St Gertrude of Nivelles — is written by an unknown author Gertrude with cats and they label her the Patron Saint of Cats Gertrude is known as the patron saint of travelers she has also been associated with rodents and cats Pope Clement XII declared March 17 as the universal feast day for St The Saint is buried in the heart of Ireland We can spend the day visiting the abbey of Nivelles It is located in the Walloon Brabant province of Belgium Buy and read “Vita Sanctae Geretrudis.” The book chronicles the major incidents that happened in the life of St Ultan — commonly believed to have been a pilgrim — predicted that Gertrude would die on March 17 and he was right Gertrude of Nivelles coincides with Saint Patrick's Day The book "Vita" is written as if the author was present during the death of St a German bomb devastated the original reliquary of St Gertrude in 337 fragments but it was later rebuilt Gertrude is often portrayed as a patron saint of cats which is a recent development because the church never associated her with cats St Gertrude was an icon of humanity and humility She lived a simple life and dedicated herself to helping those in need She rejected the marriage proposal from the son of a duke in front of a king and a depiction of the conditions of marital choices for women of her time Cats are one of the most popular animals on earth A day to celebrate the Patron Saint of cats is an important event We keep track of fun holidays and special moments on the cultural calendar — giving you exciting activities ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Miles Pattenden has previously received research funding from the British Academy Australian Catholic University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU View all partners These days many celebrate St Patrick’s Day the Catholic Church has a range of options for every day of its liturgical calendar so there’s an alternative celebration today for those who would forsake their Guinness Gertrude of Nivelles, daughter of Pippin the Elder, power behind the Merovingian throne was both Patrick’s near contemporary and his pioneering equal Born around 628, she died on this day in 659 but in that short life had time to found a monastery and rule as its abbess. Her remarkable story provides as valuable record of events during a dark time deep in the European past as that of Olga of Kyiv And her abbey still stands today having survived attack by the forces of Revolutionary France in 1794 and bombing by the German Luftwaffe in 1940 Gertrude’s posthumous legacy also reveals something quirky about the Catholic Church: its unquenchable enthusiasm for having a saint for everything Yes, Gertrude is now an unofficial patron saint for cats Gertrude was born into what was to become the most illustrious dynasty of early medieval Europe. Her father was Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia (no, that’s not a typo). The mayor was the highest ranking official in the service of the Frankish King Dagobert But the mayors soon usurped the kings to take the throne for themselves Gertrude’s great-great-great-nephew was Charlemagne who became the first Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800 Gertrude was only a minor player in this game of thrones, but her anonymous biographer tells us that as a 10-year-old girl she refused King Dagobert’s offer to find her a nice duke to marry. Indeed, she “lost her temper and flatly rejected him with an oath saying that she would have… no any earthly spouse but Christ the Lord” such medieval powerbrokers took no notice of a child’s wishes when they had political alliances to arrange But Gertrude struck it lucky or miraculous King Dagobert died the following year with her own father following just months later The 640s were a perilous time to be a teenage girl or a widowed wife Gertrude’s biographer tells us that Itta shaved her daughter’s hair so that violent abductors could not tear her away by force What was left behind looked suspiciously like a tonsure - the outward sign that pious men were already using to show their devotion to a celibate religious life And so, in due course, Gertrude and her mother established their monastery. After Itta died in 652 Gertrude became the sisters’ unchallenged abbess She “obtained through her envoy’s men of good reputation experienced men for the teaching of the divine law and to practice the chants for herself and her people.” in particular monks from Ireland whose flourishing communities represented the ongoing fruits of Patrick’s recent efforts Gertrude’s path to feline favour has been a circuitous one little in the medieval version of her legend justifies it Rather the association itself speaks to a particular pathology in certain forms of Christianity and Eastern Orthodox all recognise patron saints: special figures among the avowedly blessed whom particular groups have taken on as their primary intercessor with God The idea for such patron saints first emerged in the Middle Ages when certain saints became particularly associated with places where they lived (like Patrick in Ireland) or where they were said to work their miracles (like Thomas à Becket at Canterbury) Some saints were also recognised for particular efficacy when interceding to cure particular conditions Gertrude seems to have acquired a reputation of this latter kind after the time of the Black Death. In the Low Countries and Western Germany she was said to protect against rats and the diseases they brought with them From there it was only a short leap to making her patron of the creatures that 15th-century folk used to keep those rats in check there is no clear evidence that Gertrude was depicted in such a role until well into the 20th century Her elevation to celestial guardian of the mousers speaks to a curious development in which popes themselves have encouraged the idea that there ought to be a saint for everything Pope Pius XII making Clare of Assisi patron saint of television in 1958 could be said to have been the unlikely event which sparked all that off Gertrude is by no means the Middle Ages’ strangest or most obscure saint. That honour surely still goes to St Guinefort, the “Holy Greyhound” - an actual dog - who gave his life to save a baby boy from a snake and whose local veneration in 13th-century France scandalised Church leaders in Paris and Rome. Yet Gertrude’s example underlines the sheer quantity and variety of those whom Catholics claim to have reached Heaven. There’s a medieval saint out there for everything and everyone: so why not go and find yours? Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor. Thanks for your patience. Jan Jordan Ponts of Santa Rosa and relatives and friends are back from Belgium, where a grateful town and a U.S. ambassador honored them as stand-ins for a liberator. Jan Jordan Ponts and a taxi-load of relatives and friends are back from Belgium, where a grateful town and a U.S. ambassador honored them as stand-ins for a liberator. “It was an amazing day,” said Ponts, a Santa Rosan and the ever-more-proud daughter of World War II army Capt. Roy Jordan, who was just 36 when he succumbed to cancer in Fort Bragg in 1955. Eleven years earlier, in September of 1944, Jordan commanded Troop C of the 113th Calvary Reconnaissance Squadron as it wrested the small city of Nivelles from German forces, ending four years of Nazi occupation. Last fall, on the 70th anniversary of liberation, Nivelles resident Olivier Bleret, acting on behalf of Mayor Pierre Huart, launched a search for relatives of Capt. Jordan. Bleret found Jan Ponts’ sister, Judy Jordan Loomer, in Novato. He asked her family’s permission to elevate Roy Jordan posthumously to an honorary citizen of Nivelles. Deeply honored, Loomer and Ponts traveled to Belgium recently with four family members and friends Irma and Gary Bachelor of Sebastopol. Ponts said the welcome and the ceremony making him the first American honorary citizen of Nivelles were lovely, extraordinary. Among the dignitaries there was U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Denise Bauer. Ponts intends to return one day to Nivelles and to the handsome photograph and plaque that adorn a wall at City Hall in tribute to her father. She’ll take along his great-grandchildren. BRANDON AT FIRST: Five Santa Rosa buddies of Chicago Cubs first-base coach Brandon Hyde, who played at both Montgomery High and SRJC, will be rooting for him and his team this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Jeff Peterich and the others are on a dream of a baseball trip. They caught both Cubs-Cardinals playoff games in St. Louis, then followed Hyde and his team home to Chicago. Peterich found the environment at Busch Field to be quite staid. But, he said from the storied Wrigley Field, “This is a completely different vibe.” The Santa Rosans are having a ball with Hyde and his dad, Barry, a retired Santa Rosa teacher. Brandon Hyde enjoys a rich and fascinating career in baseball, though as a player he was active only a few years and didn’t quite make it to the big time. After a good run managing minor-league teams in the Florida Marlins organization, he was named the Marlins’ bench coach in 2010. This could win you a trivia contest: In 2011, Hyde served for one game as manager of the Marlins following the resignation of Edwin Rodriguez. Along with his dad and his Santa Rosa chums, his wife, Lisa, and the two younger of their three children cheer and visualize him and his team washing away history’s longest World Series drought. Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @CJSPD. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Her five children were aged between three and 14 I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Belgian woman who killed her five children has been euthanised 16 years later Genevieve Lhermitte murdered her son and four daughters in the town of Nivelles on 28 February 2007 The children’s father was away at the time of the murders She subsequently attempted to take her own life but failed and resorted to calling emergency services for help Lhermitte was sentenced to prison in 2008 and then moved to a psychiatric hospital in 2019 Belgium’s law for euthanasia allows people to choose to die if they are considered suffering from “unbearable” psychological as well as physical suffering that is beyond healing “It is this specific procedure that Mrs Lhermitte followed with the various medical opinions having been collected,” her lawyer told the BBC The choice to die on 28 February, on the sixteenth anniversary since the murder of her children, may have been a “symbolic gesture in respect for her children,” psychologist Emilie Maroit told the RTL-TVI channel. She added: “It may also have been for her to finish what she started, because basically she wanted to end her life when she killed them,.” Belgium legalised euthanasia in 2002, and two years ago amended the rules - after fierce debate - to permit doctor-assisted death for minors. Belgium is the only country in the world allowing euthanasia on minors of all ages. Any request for euthanasia must be made by the minor, be studied by a team of doctors and an independent psychiatrist or psychologist and have parental consent. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Daphne Nivelles has won the Miss Exclusive 2022 title and she will compete at the Miss Earth 2022 pageant later this year The finals night was held in the town of Zottegem and was attended by the reigning Miss Earth Destiny Wagner of Belize Daphne is a 21 year old beauty who hails from Sint-Truiden She describes herself as semi-vegetarian and as a woman of the earth She owns an online fashion store and has studied orthopedagogy “What started as a beautiful fairy tale became a reality last night,” gushed Daphne after she was bestowed with the crown “I worked day and night for a year to achieve what I wanted I am thankful to everyone who helped me achieve my dream” Belgium is yet to win the Miss Earth title and so far it has only registered a single placement in the pageant, thanks to Selena Ali who became one of the Top 20 in a virtual pageant held last year. The country is current ranked 37th at the Big5 Ranking New York-based company The New Group held their annual gala on March 11, honoring actor Edie Falco and photographer/New Group board chair Serge Neville with the newly renamed Mimi and Michael Mendelson Award for Outstanding Commitment to Theater The fundraising event went to benefit the New Group's many programs including their stage productions (currently Jeremy O and the upcoming production of Jesse Eisenberg's Happy Talk) Past recipients of the Mimi and Michael Mendelson Award have included Chloë Sevigny, Sutton Foster, and Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. This year's gala featured a musical performance by Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton) and appearances by Peter Dinklage, Warren Leight, and Erica Schmidt. Flip through photos from the evening below: Stay up to date with the best of dance, opera, concert music, and more in NYC. The Arlekin Players production took four Off-Broadway honors May 4, including Outstanding Revival. A rundown of current Broadway shows and their planned show times, as well as cancellations due to COVID. Hilary Kole, John Pagano, and Ta-Tynisa Wilson will perform nearly 50 songs by the late singer-songwriter. See clips of the numbers “Daydream,” "Flying Away" and "Jugglin'" from the new musical. The play comes on the heels of a broader cultural conversation about Dahl's work and the prejudice that was embedded in many of his most beloved stories. Pearson will be the first disabled actor to portray Joseph Merrick on screen. The musical will play its final performance on Broadway May 18. The Harvey Schmidt-Tom Jones musical would go on to play over 17,000 performances at the Sullivan Street Theatre. Thank You!You have now been added to the list. Blocking belongson the stage,not on websites. Our website is made possible bydisplaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us bywhitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.Thank you! This is the 274th installment in the series Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened The French General Robert Nivelle experienced a meteoric rise and fall in 1916 and 1917 soaring from his original position leading the Third Army Corps to command of the Second Army then commander of all the French armies in northern France before plunging to discredit and disgrace – all in a little over a year was supposed to be Nivelle’s crowning achievement a master stroke that would shatter the German lines end trench warfare and reopen the war of movement; instead it was a disaster that nearly destroyed the French Army ThoughtCo Nivelle’s victories at Verdun relied heavily on artillery Nivelle was convinced that infantry assaults should be preceded by a punishing bombardment of enemy positions to break up barbed wire entanglements and put the opposing artillery out of action; after the infantry went over the top bombardment of the enemy’s rear areas would disrupt communications and block reinforcements from arriving Nivelle went further by massing long-range artillery on a few narrow areas of front during the preparatory bombardment in order to totally destroy German defenses to a depth of several miles creating corridors of devastation through which French infantry could advance in relative safety behind a “rolling barrage.” The barrage – actually a double bombardment by both heavy artillery and 75-millimeter field guns – was intended to create a sweeping wall of fire in front of advancing infantry forcing the enemy to take shelter or abandon their trenches thus shielding the attacking troops from counterattacks French infantry would be able to cross multiple German trench lines and penetrate all the way to the enemy artillery the infantry would turn to the sides and attack the exposed enemy flanks in both directions widening the breach even further and enabling fresh troops to rush forward and wreak havoc in the enemy’s rear in addition to the three French armies making the main attack along the Aisne River near Reims (the Sixth Fifth and Fourth) Nivelle held two entire armies in reserve to exploit the planned breakthrough hoping ultimately to reopen the “war of movement,” in which the Allied armies would cut off and destroy all the German forces in northern France Petain argued that Nivelle’s plan for concentrated bombardments which had worked so well in the 40 square miles of the Verdun battlefield was unworkable on the much larger scale of the Western Front: there just wasn’t enough long-range artillery to guarantee destruction of the enemy’s defenses in widely separated corridors the Germans had adopted a new defensive doctrine for the entire Western Front to counter this very threat Formulated by chief of the general staff Paul von Hindenburg and his close collaborator the new defensive strategy included the construction of a third and fourth line of trenches behind the existing ones manned by troops freed up by the withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line the new doctrine minimized losses by moving troops back from the frontline trenches holding them in reserve in the rear trenches from which they could stage counterattacks on exhausted attackers While Petain continued to argue against the offensive at their final meeting with Nivelle on April 6 France’s civilian leaders reluctantly agreed to proceed preceded by the all-important creeping barrage Ten more divisions in the Tenth Army waited to plunge into the breach behind them bringing the total number of men involved to 1.2 million – if all went according to plan Historyweb it became clear that while long-range French artillery had succeeded in cutting corridors across the battlefield in some places the Germans were frequently able to repair barbed wire entanglements before the French infantry attacked thanks to captured documents and aerial reconnaissance And as at Arras – and so many First World War battles – bad weather just added the misery The French attack was most successful on the right where the Fifth Army advanced about six miles in its center by April 20 while the Sixth Army’s left wing advanced nearly four miles by the same time and everywhere else in the Aisne sector the French assault ran into a wall of German barbed wire and machine gun fire One French tank officer painted a dramatic portrait of the initial assault: As the weather took a turn for the worse the first French wounded came streaming back telling of hopeless attacks on impenetrable defenses The debacle so complete that even mid-ranking officers were refusing to carry out orders for foolhardy attacks according to the French soldier Louis Barthas who noted one incident in his diary on April 19 The same officer objected again when ordered to attack a heavily fortified position on April 26 But they were only able to avoid battle for so long In late April Barthas took part in fierce fighting southeast of Reims: Historyweb Barthas was present for a German counterattack beginning as always with withering artillery bombardment: Altogether the ill-fated offensive cost France 187,000 casualties including 29,000 killed and 118 tanks lost cost France’s main ally on the Western Front 160,000 casualties during the paired offensives the Germans suffered a total of 288,000 casualties in all categories or about four-fifths the Allied total of 347,000 This brought total French losses in the war to date to around 3.3 million casualties equal to about 3% of its prewar population and the country was now approaching the limits of its manpower no amount of Allied propaganda could persuade the French public the Nivelle Offensive was a success by any measure an American serving as a volunteer nurse in France struck a gloomy note in a letter home on July 4 and the loss of life was something terrible worse than Verdun; also that the Germans have the upper hand now in a military way.” It came as no surprise when the civilian leadership sidelined Nivelle in favor of Petain who in May 1917 would find himself facing an even more dangerous task: quelling widespread mutinies in the French Army touched off by the disastrous defeat which raised very real fears of revolution and defeat the month of April 1917 also brought a surge in German air power as a new generation of German planes including the Halberstadt CL.II and Albatros D.Va The onslaught was led by the German “ace” Manfred von Richthofen the “Red Baron,” whose “Flying Circus” (a group of 20-45 experienced fighter pilots formally organized as the Jagdgerschwader 1 or “hunting wing” in June 1917) used wolf-pack tactics against outnumbered French and British rivals scoring 644 kills of enemy planes over the course of the war The unit adopted bright colors on their planes to ease identification in battle although this also made them recognizable to enemy pilots Richthofen alone scored 80 kills by the time of his death on April 21 sometimes claiming multiple victims in a single combat although this time the pilot was lucky enough to survive and be taken prisoner: Losses in the Allied air forces reflected the new German air supremacy: the number of French and Belgian planes shot down more than doubled from around 75 in March to 201 in April 1917 while the number of British planes shot down soared from 120 to 316 including 75 lost in four brutal days from April 4-8 during the lead-up to Arras Although both the French and British were hurrying production of new planes including the French SPAD S.XIII and the British S.E.5 for the time being the Germans controlled the skies over the Western Front Some 1,300 miles to the east, the Russian Revolution took another in a series of dramatic turns with the return from exile of the Bolshevik leader Lenin to Petrograd adding another volatile element to the already combustible mix as the Provisional Government competed with the Petrograd Soviet for legitimacy and authority Lenin’s journey from Zurich to Petrograd was made possible by German intelligence operatives who advised the government to provide transportation for Lenin and several dozen other Russian radicals in the hopes that they would make trouble for Russia’s new Provisional Government The German military arranged a special sealed train for Lenin and his compatriots across Germany to the Baltic From here they proceeded by train to the Finnish border where they crossed over into Russian territory in sleighs before boarding another train to Petrograd Lenin launched an attack on two fellow Bolsheviks for articles published in the party newspaper advocating cooperation with the Provisional Government Lenin lashed out: “‘What have you people been writing in Pravda We saw several issues and were very angry with you…” Lenin clearly meant to take a much more confrontational stance towards the “capitalist” regime as revealed in his “April Theses,” which openly advocated the immediate overthrow of the parliamentary government Virginia Tech Lenin’s program met with a skeptical response when he presented it to the Soviet in a speech at the Tauride Palace (above) where his proposals were greeted with heckling and boos; one deputy exclaimed that they were the “ravings of a madman.” Clearly the time wasn’t yet ripe for Lenin’s planned second revolution But the situation was rapidly becoming more favorable thanks in part to a huge increase in the number of deserters streaming back from the Eastern Front to civilian areas Desertion was nothing new in the Russian Army with over a million men roaming the countryside and big cities by the end of 1916 but it rose sharply in the wake of the revolution especially once the authority of officers to punish men was abolished estimated an additional 1.5 million men deserted in 1917 and some estimates put the number as high as two million for the year Over a million more would join them in 1918 (below a Russian soldier tries to stop a deserter) Great War Project desertion was a fairly common event in all the armies fighting the First World War with around 150,000 deserters from the German Army 240,000 from the British and Commonwealth armies 250,000 from the Habsburg Army (in large part reflecting Austria-Hungary’s myriad ethnic tensions) and an incredible 500,000 from the forces of the Ottoman Empire these numbers aren’t surprising in view of the extreme psychological duress experienced by most soldiers in the trenches which also manifested in the growing incidence of “shell shock” (now recognized as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder) In 1917 a German psychiatrist describe a typical case of shellshock: the risk of execution often paled next to the prospect of further suffering In many places desertion was relatively easy especially in rural areas with minimal administration and policing In many circumstances desertion was a desperate final resort for low-ranking soldiers who were powerless against abusive officers These deserters weren’t necessarily disloyal but were liable to extreme penalties just the same as reflected in a diary entry by the British soldier Edward Roe for December 11 recorded an execution for desertion in April 1916: Altogether the British Army executed 306 soldiers for desertion and other crimes over the course of the war while the French executed 918 and the Italians 750 The low number of executions in proportion to total incidents suggests that military officials were generally inclined to leniency whenever possible doubtless out of fear of stirring up resentment among civilian relatives who cheerfully admitted to deserting whenever he got the chance in his memoirs Casey recalled facing a drumhead tribunal after one incident: Deliberate self-injury was another popular gambit to escape service in the frontline although it required special care to make it look like the wounds had been inflicted by enemy fire a British soldier stationed in Mesopotamia Resistance could also take a number of less dramatic forms including lollygagging and cowardice on the battlefield described one incident at the Somme in September 1916 when his men suddenly proved hard to locate: disobedience might escalate to “fragging,” or the murder of officers by their own troops the practice was not unknown – and in some cases the murderers got away with it Louis Barthas recalled an incident in which French soldiers lynched military police officers when the latter stopped them from going AWOL to buy food: Occasionally the attackers killed the wrong victim according to the British author Robert Graves See the previous installment or all entries © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved He also covers online and traditional media for MediaPost Mental Floss may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.",{"type":"bp","value":"ld"},"AR_1",{"type":"bp","value":"lf"},"This article contains affiliate links to products selected by our editors as well as products provided to Mental Floss for review purposes d) {\n h = h[d] = h[d] || {\n q: [],\n onReady: function(c){ h.q.push(c) },\n };\n d = o.createElement(u);\n d.async = 1;\n d.src = n;\n n = o.getElementsByTagName(u)[0];\n n.parentNode.insertBefore(d \"https://www.datadoghq-browser-agent.com/us1/v5/datadog-rum.js\" Initialize Datadog RUM and then measure TTFB/FCP\n window.DD_RUM.onReady(function() {\n // 3a Initialize RUM\n window.DD_RUM.init({\n applicationId: 'f3f16add-4ebf-4aad-9bb4-adb13da4d17e',\n clientToken: 'pub53fad8ec1eea29e2f92980d95072da2f',\n site: \"datadoghq.com\",\n service: \"voltax-sites-www.mentalfloss.com\",\n env: \"prod\",\n sessionSampleRate: 100,\n sessionReplaySampleRate: 0,\n trackUserInteractions: true,\n trackResources: true,\n trackLongTasks: true,\n defaultPrivacyLevel: \"mask-user-input\",\n });\n\n // 3b Measure TTFB & FCP once the page fully loads\n window.addEventListener('load' {\n ttfb: ttfb,\n fcp: fcp,\n });\n\n // Optional: log them to console for debugging\n console.log('[Datadog RUM] TTFB:' ThoughtCo \n Historyweb \nThe first day of the Nivelle Offensive ended with over 40,000 French casualties (approaching the British toll of 53,000 on the first day of the Somme)  Over the next few days more appalling slaughter brought only minor gains and by April 20 it was obvious the Nivelle Offensive had failed decisively including a series of smaller operations to even out the line and secure observation posts but by April 25 French civilian leaders were already planning to sideline Nivelle Historyweb Some 1,300 miles to the east, the Russian Revolution took another in a series of dramatic turns with the return from exile of the Bolshevik leader Lenin to Petrograd Virginia Tech Great War Project See the previous installment or all entries. HTTP Error 400. The request URL is invalid. MenuHow to Play Nivelle Nights: 'Battlefield 1' June DLC adds a new map read below for everything you need to know Before you can play Nivelle Nights in Battlefield 1 Own Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass expansion If you only own the regular Battlefield 1 game Nivelle Nights isn't accessible through a base copy of the game Playing Battlefield 1's Nivelle Nights is pretty simple as long as you meet one of the two conditions above Nivelle Nights is simply added to the They Shall Not Pass map rotation this means that you have to just keep playing until you have a chance to vote on it at the end of a match The good thing is that since it's a new map it'll more than likely be unanimously voted for — though it can be frustrating to have to wait Battlefield 1 received a new patch earlier today The Battlefield 1 November update's biggest new addition is the Operation Campaigns mode which stitches together multiple Operations for a big campaign The first Campaign is called Eastern Storm The Operations UI will change to reflect the currently active Campaign Each campaign will task you with completing specific Operations and there's a certain score you must reach before you finish the a campaign but finishing every Operation on time earns you a Battlepack The other big feature is the addition of HDR support for PC which is compatible with Dolby Vision HDR standard the Nivelle Nights map has been unlocked for all players No part of this website or its content may be reproduced without the copyright owner's permission VG247 is a registered trademark of Gamer Network Limited Follow us for daily PC games news, guides and reviews on X, Facebook, Google News, and Steam. Or sign up to our free newsletter but you are looking for something that isn't here.We have compiled a list of latest video game updates below Tim Sweeney spoke about how Unreal Engine 6 will make it even easier for game developers to ship their projects the studio allegedly has another that's been in development for three years directed by Shaun Escayg (Marvel's Avengers) or repurpose a body part from a boss as a weapon Circana's Mat Piscatella believes it would have brought back "relapsed players" to consoles and driven "incremental hardware sales." Alinea Analytics' market head Rhys Elliott attributes this to the focus on turn-based gameplay The Mutilator will be available in a new mode and as a Power weapon in regular multiplayer matches id Software's Hugo Martin says the team wanted to avoid repetition while ensuring more fluidity and control for the player Led by former Rockstar president Leslie Benzies the third-person action title launches on June 10th for Xbox Series X/S The publisher also teases that The Prince is "just warming up," potentially hinting at announcements in the coming months Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Remake is reportedly launching near the multiplayer-focused Assassin's Creed Invictus Shadows will also allegedly receive roughly two years of post-launch support while Hexe will seemingly receive one year I think it's an 80 percent chance they will hit it,” said Obbe Vermeij crossing ten million sales since launching in February 2018 for Xbox One The studio confirmed in January that it was providing development support on The Coalition and Microsoft's upcoming third-person shooter The studio says it is "reducing some roles" and that it will "redeploy as many as possible" across other EA Sports teams and projects Compulsion Games CEO Guillaume Provost says the studio's role is to "provide games that add distinctiveness" with its titles The cozy Hobbit life sim game by Weta Workship and Private Division is due out this July for PlayStation MercurySteam's action adventure offers a surprisingly unorthodox cast The action horror title was announced in January and is due out exclusively for PlayStation 5 at some point in 2025 Ubisoft seems to be suggesting that several more of its titles will be headed to Nintendo's upcoming next-gen console at some point A 28-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his father The body of the 65-year-old was found at his home at Rattin A well-known tarot card reader and fortune teller Mr Posschier had been living in the area for more than 20 years was brought before Mullingar District Court this morning He is charged with the murder of Mr Posschier on dates between 24 and 25 October We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Detective Sergeant David Donnelly from Mullingar Garda Station gave evidence of arrest charge and caution during this morning’s brief sitting He told Judge Bernadette Owens that the accused made no comment when the charges were put to him at 10.10am today Mr O’Rourke was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison to appear before next Thursday’s sitting of Mullingar District Court via video link RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Lauren Steussy | lsteussy@siadvance.comSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Amid the hubbub over St. Patrick's Day with all its parading and pinching and snakes it can be easy to overlook another very important holy figure And you don't even have to drink beer with food dye in it to celebrate Old Gerty was known around the convent for her love of cats and her ability to pray away the mice so I think we could all afford to say a little prayer to her once in a while But this saint didn't stop at cat-love She was also the patron saint of mental illness and travelers Dusty Rainbolt of Catster.com wrote this very righteous prayer in honor of St so if you could put down your Guinness for one second and recite it ask you I praySafeguard my kitties this and each day.Defend them from those who might wish them harm.Keep them at home safe from danger and storm.Instill in me wisdom to care for them well.Pray fill me with strength never to yell.And Gertrude a last thing I beseech from thee,Protect my sofa from claws and my carpets from pee.Amen Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices \n m_gallery = \"celebrate_st_gertrudes_day_wit\";\n m_gallery_id = \"19966518\";\n m_gallery_title = \"Celebrate St Gertrude\\'s Day with these cat photos\";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"4499\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Thursday 2:21 PM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.silive.com/4499/gallery/celebrate_st_gertrudes_day_wit/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.silive.com/photogallery/4499/19966518.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n The man will appear before Mullingar District Court at 10.30am today following the fatal assault on the 65-year-old A man is due in court this morning to be charged in connection with the murder of Stefan Nivelles Posschier in Co Westmeath last month The man will appear before Mullingar District Court at 10.30am today following the fatal assault on the 65-year-old who was found dead by gardaí on land near his home at Rattin a man in his 20s who had been arrested on Monday morning on suspicion of murdering the Belgian psychic was released without charge A garda spokesperson said: “The man arrested in connection with the murder of Stefan Nivelles Posschier has been released from detention under Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 “The garda investigation is ongoing at this time.” Sources said Mr Posschier may have been in fear of his killer due to his “erratic behaviour” in the days before his murder Detectives are following a definite line of inquiry as part of the investigation and believe Mr Posschier died violently The victim is believed to have been stabbed a number of times Mr Posschier was originally from Belgium but had been living in the Rattin area for around 20 years He had previously had an address in south Dublin He was well-known for his work as a psychic He also used the stage name Stefan De Guylian when working and gave tarot card readings in a number of towns across Ireland Those who knew him through his work described him as a “lovely man” and a “talented” tarot card reader Please check your inbox to verify your details Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices Arrest in Thailand raises hopes mystery of Gang of Nivelles killings may be solved Robert Beijer joined the gendarmerie, Belgium’s former state police force, in the Seventies.  He works for the drug section of the special detection squad BOB together with Madani Bouhouche, another name that regularly appears in the Gang of Nivelles saga. Beijer and Bouhouche are caught tapping a colleague’s phone and are sacked from the drug section.  They then decide to leave the police service and establish a private detective agency.  The two former detectives are linked to a raft of suspicious incidents including the theft of weapons from the gendarmerie’s special intervention squad and an attack on Herman Vernaillen, a police officer looking into police involvement in drug trafficking. Later they are suspected of involvement in the murder of arms dealer Juan Mendez and a bullion theft at Brussels Airport, when a security guard is murdered. In 1994 the two men are charged with the murder of an Antwerp diamond trader, Juan Mendez.  Beijer gets 14 years. In recent years he’s been living in Thailand where he has now been arrested. Neither Beijer nor Bouhouche, who has meanwhile died, have ever been formally charged in connection with Gang of Nivelles atrocities. In his memoires Beijer denies all involvement.  Still, the hope is that he will now be able to shed light on one of the shadiest episodes of the Eighties in Belgium. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The house in Rattin near Miltownpass, Westmeath where the body of Stefan Nivelles Posschier was found on October 25. File picture: Colin Keegan was remanded in custody after appearing before Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court on Thursday morning Belgium-born fortune teller Stefan Nivelles Posschier was discovered lifeless on October 25 at his home in Rattin a rural townland between Kinnegad and Milltownpass A postmortem examination was conducted while detectives at Mullingar Garda station started a murder investigation They brought Mr O'Rourke to appear before Judge Owens at Mullingar District Court Detective Sergeant David Donnelly said Mr O'Rourke was arrested He is accused of the murder of Stefan Nivelles Posschier at his home between October 24 and 25 Detective Sergeant Donnelly told the court that "in reply to the charge after caution Mr O'Rourke was then handed a copy of the charge sheet stood facing forward with his hands behind his back Kate McGhee of Tracy Horan & Co Solicitors successfully asked for legal aid to be granted because her client was not working Judge Owens also acceded to her request to extend legal aid "to cover an independent psychiatric report" Mr O'Rourke did not address the court but whispered to his solicitor when she brought up the request concerning the psychiatric report He was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison to appear again at Mullingar District Court via video link on November 17 The District Court does not have the jurisdiction to consider bail in murder cases which require an application in the High Court Clairvoyant Stefan had been in Ireland for over 20 years He had lived in south Dublin before settling in Co Mr Posschier was well known for his work as a psychic Working under the stage name Stefan De Guylianhe he gave tarot card readings in towns across the country He was laid to rest following a funeral service at the weekend From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in Follow and share the latest news and stories The court heard that the defendant found himself on trial for rape 16 years after the disputed incident and that he was seriously disadvantaged by the delay in bringing the complaint. File picture: Larry Cummins © Examiner Echo Group Limited, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712. Bad news (and some good news) for the victims and their families in the case the notorious Nivelles Gang, which killed 28 people and injured several others in a number of violent raids and robberies in the 80s. There seemed to be a breakthrough in the case, which could finally break the old stalemate, but investigators can't come to concluding evidence. Yet. Because DNA research might help to provide clues. Six months ago, the brother of the man dubbed "The Giant" - because witnesses said that the gang always had a tall, slender man in its ranks - had big news. He told reporters that his brother (Christiaan Bonkoffsky) confessed that he had links with the gang. The confessions came just before the man's death.  This account gave the old case a new boost. Justice Minister Koen Geens found extra cash to put new investigators on the dossier. This morning, the news came that investigators haven't found any concrete evidence which could support the account of the suspect's brother. "We worked hard to find elements to support this promising theory, but couldn't come up with new elements to support his."  Jef Vermassen, the lawyer of David van de Steen - who lost his parents and sister, and sustained heavy injuries himself in the raid on the Delhaize store in Aalst, red. - is not amused. He is talking of "a deliberate leak to add more confusion to the case."  The case of the Nivelles Gang is one of the most notorious in Belgian history. Until today, it remains shrouded in mystery. One of the most common theories is that the gang was created from within the federal police, which would explain some of their advanced techniques and tools. It would also explain why the case never had a breakthrough, as higher circles had every reason to sabotage it.  The confession of "The Giant" Chris Bonkoffsky, who had worked for the special unit of the federal police, seemed to confirm the theory. But there was no evidence, only the statement made by his brother. One judicial source now says "we are almost 99 percent sure it was not him, but of course you can't question a dead man."  "The man's family is not one to invent things" However, this morning, the case had a new turn: the family of "The Giant" says they found the man DNA on an old watch. They will hand this DNA over to the judicial authorities, hoping to help the investigation forward. The family wants clarity: "They witnessed the confession. Chris Bonkoffsky was not a man who invented things, and neither was his brother", the family's lawyer says. history doesn’t associate her to cats until around 1981-82 So what exactly is the story of the mysterious Gertrude a cup of tea and do not worry; there will NOT be a test later Clark, Carolee on Etsy She was born in 628 A.D. to father Pippin and mother Itta, however her early history isn’t well known. Most of it published by an unknown biographer in the Vita Sanctae Geretrudis (The Life of St Geretrud). Her family though were very instrumental in the political and ruling classes in what is now Belgium The consensus on her in the history books begins at the early age of ten Sidenote – it seems extremely fitting to this female writer that we now honor her during Women’s History Month too Photo Wikipedia: David Castor Sankta_Gertrud_i_Tyska_kyrkan_i_Stockholm All agree that the girl’s personal feeling mattered little One scholar speculated that if Pippin I had lived longer he would likely have forced Gertrude to marry the son of the Austrasian duke.  it’s obvious that Gertrude had formed a strong will Clearly her mother had instilled a strength and fortitude in her soul One that we perhaps recognize from deep within still to this day Because when faced with the unknown in a world of absolute female suppression The mention of Gertrude’s decided rejection of her Austrasian suitor is unique for the era At least one scholar considers it to have been deliberately included by the chronicler as expressing her character When Gertrude’s father, Pepin of Landen passed away around 640 A.D., the matriarch of the family had to make a decision. His death is noted as “giving Gertrude the freedom to take the veil and enter the monastic life.” And it was at this time her mother, Itta of Metz implemented a brilliant plan Photo Wikipedia: By GFreihalter – Tongeren_Liebfrauenbasilika_Fenster_Andreas_736 The biographer of Gertrude mentions that after the death of Pippin the Elder in 640, his widow Itta pondered daily on what was to become of her and her daughter. Upon the advice of Amand, she ordered the construction of a monastery to which she and Gertrude could retire.[20] Getrude colegiate church (XI/XIIIth centuries) So now Gertrude was able to focus on her own life, free from the ties of a political marriage. She spent her time helping others, truly sainthood actions. You can still visit the Abbey today where numerous artifacts are stored.  The Vita states that in Gertrude the sobriety of her heart and the moderation of her words she anticipated maturity.” She was “an intelligent young woman and poor,” and as knowing much of the scripture by memory Gertrude also memorized passages and books on divine law and she “openly disclosed the hidden mysteries of allegory to her listeners.” Her Vita describes Gertrude as building churches Photo Wikipedia: Saint Gertrude saving a house on fire, detail of a mural in the Crosier Monastery, Maastricht– Wikipedia SAMSUNG CSC – There ARE miracles associated to her including “miraculous vision” and “salvation of the sailors What is noted of her death is also somewhat mysterious.  Photo Wikipedia: Nivelle Abbey; Wikipedia Cloître_du_monastère_Sainte-Gertrude is a conversation supposedly held the day before her mortal transition.  there’s no proof that she had anything specifically to do with felines The first mention of her and felines seems to go back to only the early 1980’s there are numerous Etsy pages and merchandise picturing St So it seems that cats have done what they do…THEY CHOOSE YOU Photo: St. Gertrude Patron Saint of Cats A likelier reason is Gertrude’s association with rats and mice Representations of Gertrude going back to the Middle Ages portray her with a rodent or two scurrying around her feet or running up the staff of her crozier Gertrude’s intercession to ward off disease-carrying rodents would have made her an important saint to call upon when much of Europe was decimated by bubonic plague Since cats are the animal most people think of as the natural predator of rats and mice it doesn’t take much imagination to extend Gertrude’s patronage to protecting cats Perhaps the reason this association is fairly new is because of Christianity’s longstanding love-hate relationship with cats Venerated as sacred animals in ancient Egypt Phoenician traders introduced cats to Europe by the 5th century B.C.E Although house cats were less common among the early Greeks and Romans they were valued for keeping the vermin population down Early Christians afforded cats the same respect and tolerance cats were the frequent victims of superstition and abuse associated with witchcraft and the “pagan beliefs” of pre-Christian religions Cats were ideal and valued companions for monks and nuns in the Middle Ages and it would come as no surprise if Gertrude and her religious sisters or her Belgian and Irish religious brothers Considering the church’s checkered history of its treatment of cats cats have long deserved and needed a patron saint of their own left the busy administration of her monastery in the hands of others so she could go off by herself and pray and took to wearing a hair shirt in her final days is a fitting human counterpart to the domestic cat a creature known for being resolutely independent and prone to mysterious habits that never make sense to its human owner who loves and accepts cats as they are anyway Photo: St from the Hours of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg by Simon Bening And while it may not necessarily be related directly to felines defiant soul seems pretty similar to our beloved cats Have a blessed day no matter who or what you celebrate on March 17th Gertrude of Nivelles, Patron Saint of Cats and Gardeners – 8 x 10 Print of Original Acrylic Painting by Carolee Clark on Etsy cat lovers try to remind people there's another Saint to honor Trudie was dubbed a "miracle" cat by the RSPCA The 21-year-old beauty from Sint-Truiden succeeds last year's winner She is an orthopedagogy student and businesswoman who owns the fashion store House of Edda and Sarah Rottiers completed the Top 5 finalists The new Miss Exclusive (Miss Earth Belgium 2022) is expected to represent her country at the international Miss Earth 2022 pageant later this year "What started as a beautiful fairytale has become reality last night Words are not enough to say how happy and grateful I am," she shared on social media after winning her national title "I want to thank everyone who helped me achieve my dream This would never have been possible without your support," she added Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us and harassing women by asking if they have any Irish in them But March 17 is also the feast day of St Gertrude of Nivelles, the patron saint of cats. She’s also the patron of travellers and gardeners, and protects against rats and mental illness. Basically, she’s a saint that Simpsons character Eleanor Abernathy, MD JD could really get behind Most of what’s known about Gertrude comes from her Vita Sanctae the official Catholic biography produced to justify her worship She was born around 626 in what’s now Belgium a powerful Frankish nobleman and political operator at the court of King Dagobert I Gertrude feistily refused a marriage proposal from the son of a duke “saying that she would have neither him nor any earthly spouse but Christ the Lord.” When her father died – although sources disagree Gertrude was probably about 14 – her mother Itta shaved her head into a monkish tonsure to deter would-be suitors from marrying into her wealthy family by force Itta and Gertrude established the monastery of Nivelles and retired to a religious life – historically this has been one of women’s few options to preserve their intellectual the now 24-year-old Gertrude took on sole governance of the monastery and was known for her hospitality to pilgrims She died in 659 – worn out in her early thirties “because of too much abstinence and keeping of vigils” predicted she would die on St Patrick’s Day and that “blessed Bishop Patrick with the chosen angels of God… are prepared to receive her” The Catholic Church holds that saints are kind of like holy MPs. They have clearly defined areas of knowledge or expertise on which they intercede with God on your behalf. You can still pray directly to God, but a saint is just that little bit closer – someone who was once human, but is now repping you in heaven. As an official FAQ states: “We pray with saints The mythology of sainthood has it that saints are legitimately pious miracle workers it’s a worldly honour that reflects the Catholic Church’s strategic aims at a given time were canonised as an evangelical move to link Christianity to the saint’s hometown or home country: to make locals warm to the religion and to justify establishing churches there Appointing patron saints for occupations, pursuits and quotidian phenomena also helped bring the Church closer to the fabric of everyday life. In medieval England, there were 40,000 religious organisations, charities and professional guilds, each of which had its own patron saint Patron saints for diseases – who were often martyred by a given disease or cared for those who suffered from it – were also intended to give hope to the sick that God would heal them or that faith would help them bear their suffering the procedure of canonisation is bureaucratic but early saints were often canonised by popular opinion their areas of patronage have also established more by tradition and interpretation than official decree St Gertrude’s family, known as the Pippinids after her dad, became the Carolingians – the most famous of whom is Charlemagne the papally anointed Holy Roman Emperor who united most of Western Europe maintaining written records of a holy aunt’s miracles and good works was politically strategic for both the Church and the Carolingians Statues, illuminated manuscripts, church fresco paintings and stained glass windows commonly depict Gertrude in a garden setting, surrounded by cats, rats and mice – often with a mouse running up her staff. The animals are often held to represent souls in purgatory for whose salvation Gertrude fervently prayed when she was alive pilgrims left offerings at her shrine in the form of golden and silver mice Gertrude and her nuns also kept cats to combat the vermin problem at Nivelles abbey And while cats are the internet’s spirit animal, Gertrude has no power online. That would be the domain of St Isidore of Seville whom Pope John Paul II deputised in 1997 as the patron saint of internet users Isidore was a real ideas man – he wrote 20 books and invented the word ‘etymology’ But Gertrude’s patronage of travellers relates not only to her kind treatment of pilgrims in life in which an Irish monk beset by a great storm at sea – including a sea monster – prayed to her and the storm instantly subsided Her hospitable treatment of Irish pilgrims was important to a Church that wished to establish its cosmopolitan reach which is why she shares her death date with St Patrick On a day that has become unfortunately associated with public displays of boorish masculinity wouldn’t it be nice to honour a saint whose domains of patronage have traditionally been belittled as feminised and domestic Gertrude was an independent woman who refused to be treated as a chattel and calms stormy seas and minds… if you have faith in her This story was originally published on March 17 Feature image of a Swedish fresco via Wikimedia Commons Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us.