Saint Dorothy of Montau
Saint Dorothy of Montau (born February 6, 1347 AD in Montau, Danzig, Poland; died June 25, 1394 AD in Marienwerder, Prussia, now Kwidzyn, Poland) was a Prussian mystic, wife, and recluse who became the first woman to be canonized in German-speaking Prussia. After 25 years of married life and nine children (eight of whom died in infancy), she was enclosed as an anchoress at Marienwerder Cathedral, where she lived in continuous mystical union with God until her death. She is the patron of Prussia and Lithuania. Her feast day is June 25.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Dorothy of Montau
| Saint Dorothy of Montau | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 25 |
| Profession | Wife; mother; mystic; anchoress; recluse |
| Rel. Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church; Third Order of Saint Francis (tertiary) |
| Patronage | Prussia; Lithuania; Marienburg; mystics; mothers; those who have lost children; Kwidzyn (Marienwerder) |
| Attributes | Widow's veil; cell/anchor ring (anchoress); Eucharistic vision; lily; nine children (lost) |
| Birthplace | Montau (Mątwy), Danzig, Poland |
| Death Place | Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died as an enclosed anchoress after one year of enclosure |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral Chapter Church of Kwidzyn (former Cathedral of Marienwerder), Kwidzyn, Poland — her shrine; her cell was adjacent to this Gothic cathedral |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in universal Roman Calendar; observed in Poland and Germany |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Dorothy was born on February 6, 1347, in Montau in the region of Danzig, the seventh of nine children of a Flemish immigrant farmer. From her earliest years she experienced mystical states and a profound interior prayer life. At seventeen she married the swordsmith Adalbert of Gdańsk. The marriage was not easy: her husband was ill-tempered and initially hostile to her piety. Over years, however, her holiness and patience softened him.
Dorothy bore nine children, of whom eight died in infancy — a common tragedy in 14th-century Danzig. The couple made multiple pilgrimages together (to Einsiedeln, Aachen, Cologne, and Rome). After Adalbert's death on one of these pilgrimages (1390), Dorothy returned to Marienwerder in Prussia.
There she came under the spiritual direction of Johann of Marienwerder (John of Marienwerder), a canon of the Teutonic Order cathedral at Marienwerder, who became her confessor and later her biographer. On January 2, 1393, Dorothy was enclosed as an anchoress (recluse) in a cell built against the wall of Marienwerder Cathedral. She spent about one year in this state of total enclosure, receiving daily communion, experiencing continual mystical graces, and dictating her experiences to John.
She died on June 25, 1394, approximately one year after her enclosure. John of Marienwerder's biography and the records of the canonization process (begun but not completed until 1976) are the primary sources for her life.
Pope Paul VI canonized her on June 9, 1976.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Montau (Mątwy), Danzig, Poland
Death location: Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Notable location: The cathedral city where she was enclosed as an anchoress in the last year of her life; her confessor John of Marienwerder wrote her biography; the cathedral still stands (Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Poland)
Notable location: The major city near her birthplace; where she went on pilgrimage and where her husband died; she returned to Marienwerder after his death (Danzig (Gdańsk), Poland)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Cathedral Chapter Church, Kwidzyn (Marienwerder), Poland — the Gothic cathedral with the site of her anchoress cell; her shrine in Poland.
Feast day
June 25
Veneration
Saint Dorothy of Montau is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on June 25. She is the patron of Prussia and Lithuania.
Prayers
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