abbess
Article
Feminine of the word abbot. Spiritual and temporal superior of a community of twelve or more nuns, signifying that the superior is like a mother to the community. The title is in use among Benedictines, Poor Clares, and certain colleges of canonesses. An abbess as a rule has a right to wear a ring, and bears the crosier as a symbol of her rank, but has not the jurisdiction belonging to abbots.
In art
- Saint Agnes of Montepulciano
- Saint Bridget of Sweden
- Saint Brigid of Ireland
- Saint Burgundofara
- Saint Catherine of Sweden
- Saint Etheldreda
- Saint Gertrude of Nivelles
- Saint Irmina of Oehren
- Saint Jane of Valois
- Saint Lioba of Bischofsheim
- Saint Lutgardis
- Saint Mechtildis of Edelstetten
- Saint Odilia of Alsace
- Saint Walburga
- Saint Winifred of Wales
Abbesses Profiled on this Site
- Blessed Abbatissa
- Blessed Adelindis of Buchau
- Blessed Alexandrina di Letto
- Blessed Beatrice Bicchieri
- Blessed Berta of Busano
- Blessed Bertha de Marbais
- Blessed Bertha de’Alberti of Cavriglia
- Blessed Bertheid of Münster
- Blessed Christina Ciccarelli
- Blessed Elisabeth de Vans
- Blessed Elizabeth Rose
- Blessed Elizabeth Salviati
- Blessed Euphemia of Altenmünster
- Blessed Felicia Meda
- Blessed Filippa Guidoni
- Blessed Filippa Mareri
- Blessed Gertrud of Traunkirchen
- Blessed Gertrude of Altenberg
- Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica
- Blessed Gertrude Prosperi
- Blessed Giovanna Maria Bonomo
- Blessed Hedwig of Hreford
- Blessed Helen of Poland
- Blessed Hilsindis
- Blessed Humbeline of Jully
- Blessed Ida of Argensolles
- Blessed Imana of Loss
- Blessed Irmengard
- Blessed Johanna of Cáceres
- Blessed Juliana of Collalto
- Blessed Jutta of Disibodenberg
- Blessed Jutta of Heiligenthal
- Blessed Libania of Busano
- Blessed Lucia of Settefonti
- Blessed Magdalen Albrizzi
- Blessed Margaret of Faenza
- Blessed Margaret of Vau-le-Duc
- Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
- Blessed Maria Angela Astorch
- Blessed Maria Crucified Satellico
- Blessed Maria Mancini
- Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce
- Blessed Matthia dei Nazzarei
- Blessed Petronilla of Moncel
- Blessed Prudence Castori
- Blessed Ragenfreda
- Blessed Salomea of Galicia
- Blessed Santucci Terrebotti
- Blessed Seraphina Sforza
- Blessed Stephana de Quinzanis
- Blessed Theodora of Rossano
- Blessed Ursula Haider
- Saint Abdela
- Saint Ada of Le Mans
- Saint Adalsindis of Bèze
- Saint Adelaide of Guelders
- Saint Adelina
- Saint Adeloga of Kitzingen
- Saint Agapes of Nicomedia
- Saint Agilberta of Jouarre
- Saint Agnes of Montepulciano
- Saint Agnes of Poitiers
- Saint Agnes of Prague
- Saint Aldegundis
- Saint Aldetrudis
- Saint Almut of Wetter
- Saint Amelberga of Susteren
- Saint Angadrisma of Beauvais
- Saint Angelina of Serbia
- Saint Anstrudis of Laon
- Saint Attala of Strasbourg
- Saint Attalia
- Saint Aurea of Boves
- Saint Aurea of Paris
- Saint Austrebertha of Pavilly
- Saint Ava of Denain
- Saint Balda of Jouarre
- Saint Baldegundis
- Saint Basilissa of Øhren
- Saint Beata of Ribnitz
- Saint Beatrice da Silva Meneses
- Saint Bega
- Saint Begga of Andenne
- Saint Benedicta of Assisi
- Saint Benedicta of Lorraine
- Saint Bertha of Avenay
- Saint Bertha of Blangy
- Saint Bertille
- Saint Bertoara
- Saint Bova of Rheims
- Saint Bridget of Sweden
- Saint Brónach of Glen-Seichis
- Saint Burgundofara
- Saint Caesaria of Arles
- Saint Camilla Battista Varano
- Saint Catherine of Bologna
- Saint Catherine of Sweden
- Saint Cecilia of Lorraine
- Saint Cera of Kilkeary
- Saint Clare of Montefalco
- Saint Clotsindis of Marchiennes
- Saint Cocha
- Saint Connat
- Saint Cuthburgh of Wimborne
- Saint Darlaugdach of Kildare
- Saint Doda of Rheims
- Saint Ebbe of Minster-in-Thanet
- Saint Ebbe the Elder
- Saint Ebbe the Younger
- Saint Edburga of Gloucester
- Saint Edburga of Thanet
- Saint Edburgh of Winchester
- Saint Edith of Tamworth
- Saint Edith of Wilton
- Saint Einhildis of Hohenburg
- Saint Elfleda of Whitby
- Saint Elgiva of Shaftesbury
- Saint Elizabeth of Schönau
- Saint Elswith
- Saint Elvira of Ohren
- Saint Eremberta of Wierre
- Saint Erentrude
- Saint Ermenilda of Ely
- Saint Ethelburga of Faremoutier
- Saint Ethelburgh of Barking
- Saint Ethelburgh of Kent
- Saint Ethelfleda
- Saint Ethelgitha of Northumbria
- Saint Ethelgiva of Shaftesbury
- Saint Eugenia of Hohenburg
- Saint Eusebia of Hamage
- Saint Eusebia of Marseilles
- Saint Eustadiola of Moyen-Moutier
- Saint Eustochia Calafato
- Saint Florentina of Cartagena
- Saint Franca Visalta
- Saint Frideswide
- Saint Gébétrude of Remiremont
- Saint Gertrude of Nivelles
- Saint Gertrude the Elder
- Saint Glodesind of Metz
- Saint Gobnata
- Saint Godeberta of Noyon
- Saint Gundelindis of Niedermünster
- Saint Gunthildis of Biblisheim
- Saint Gunthildis of Ohrdruf
- Saint Harlindis of Arland
- Saint Helen of Oehren
- Saint Herlindis
- Saint Hieu
- Saint Hilda of Whitby
- Saint Hildelith of Barking
- Saint Hildemarca of Fécamp
- Saint Ida of Cologne
- Saint Imina of Würzburg
- Saint Irmina of Oehren
- Saint Jane of Valois
- Saint Juliana of Pavilly
- Saint Kyneburga of Castor
- Saint Kyneswide of Castor
- Saint Landrada
- Saint Laura of Cordoba
- Saint Lioba of Bischofsheim
- Saint Macrina the Younger
- Saint Madalberta
- Saint Margaret of Amelia
- Saint Maria Crescentia Höss
- Saint Maura of Scotland
- Saint Maxima of Fréjus
- Saint Mechtildis of Edelstetten
- Saint Melangell
- Saint Mella of Doire-Melle
- Saint Merewenna
- Saint Milburga
- Saint Mildgytha
- Saint Mildred of Thanet
- Saint Modesta of Trier
- Saint Monenna
- Saint Nennoc
- Saint Nichole
- Saint Odilia of Alsace
- Saint Offa of Benevento
- Saint Opportuna of Montreuil
- Saint Osburga of Coventry
- Saint Pia of Quedlinburg
- Saint Precia of Epinal
- Saint Regintrudis of Nonnberg
- Saint Relindis
- Saint Relindis of Eyck
- Saint Richrudis of Marchiennes
- Saint Rusticola of Arles
- Saint Sadalberga
- Saint Saethryth
- Saint Saxburgh of Ely
- Saint Scholastica
- Saint Senorina of Basto
- Saint Severa of Oehren
- Saint Severa of Saint Gemma
- Saint Sigolena of Trocar
- Saint Sperandea
- Saint Syra of Faremoutiers
- Saint Talida of Antinoë
- Saint Teodechilde
- Saint Tetta of Wimborne
- Saint Thecla of Kitzingen
- Saint Theodichildis
- Saint Veronica Giuliani
- Saint Walburga
- Saint Waldrada of Metz
- Saint Werburgh of Bardney
- Saint Wilfetrudis of Nivelles
- Saint Wilfrida
- Saint Winifred of Wales
- Saint Wivina
- Saint Wulfhilda
- Venerable Juana Vazquez Gutierrez
MLA Citation
- “abbess”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 November 2018. Web. 17 November 2019. <>