Radegund was a 6th-century Thuringian princess and Frankish queen who later became a nun. Born around 520 in Erfurt, she was taken to Merovingian Gaul by Clotaire I, whom she married in 540. After fleeing the royal court following the murder of her brother, she sought religious life and established the Abbey of the Holy Cross in Poitiers. Known for her extreme asceticism and devotion, she died in 587. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions.