Bova, St.
BOVA, ST.
Benedictine abbess, 7th century. She was the first abbess of Saint-Pierre, Reims, where she introduced the benedictine rule. According to flodoard of reims, she was the daughter of sigebert, King of Austrasia, and therefore would have been the sister of St. Baudry of Montfaucon, but the place and date of her birth are not known. Her feast is observed with that of her niece, Doda, who became a religious in the same monastery and probably succeeded her as abbess.
Feast: April 24.
Bibliography: Acta Santorum, April 3:285–293. j. bouette de blÉmur, L'Année bénédictine, 6 v. (Paris 1667–73). p. de beauvais, Le Tableau … de sainte Bove et sainte Dode (Reims 1655). j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bieheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris, 12 v. (Paris 1935–56); v. 13, suppl. and table générale (1959) 4:615–616. w. grundhÖfer, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 2:633. a. d'haenens, Biblioteca sanctorum (Rome 1961–) :377–378.
[o. l. kapsner]