c. 422-c. 500
Feast Date: January 3
Genevieve took the veil of a dedicated virgin at 15, living with her parents in Nanterre and with her godmother in Paris. As she gained fame for a life of prayer, good works and miracles, opposition to her grew. However, she was defended by Bishop Germanus and helped feed Parisians during a siege by invading Franks. She counseled the Franks’ King Clovis, who became a Christian, and her prayers were credited with saving Paris from Attila the Hun. The church where she was buried became a pilgrimage site, and miracles attributed to her intercession, especially ending an epidemic in 1129, spread her cult throughout France. She is the patron of Paris and is invoked against drought, floods and other disasters.