Ethelbert's wife
Bertha was the daughter of Charibert the king of Paris and was already a
Christian (Ethelbert had been permitted to marry her as long as she could
stay true to her religion). This made it much easier for the missionaries to
establish themselves under the protection of the King in Canterbury.
As
the result of persuasion by Queen Bertha and her chaplain, Luidhard,
Augustine was allowed to proceed to Canterbury where it would seem, he
also used the Church of St. Martin's as a base. The king himself was baptised within a year of their arrival.
She
worshipped as a Christian at St.Martin's for over 30 years.
Bertha's
grave was thought at one time to be in a small alcove to the left of the
altar. The grave was when opened in 1897 and was found to contain the bones of a man!
Bertha's grave and that of her husband Ethelbert is in fact in the church
of St.Augustine's abbey.
