St Notburga

Austrian laywoman from what is now called the Tyrol. St Notburga was born around 1250 to a poor peasant family. At the age of 18 she was employed as a kitchen maid in the castle of Count Henry of Rattenberg. The family squandered more food on pig-swill than Notburga's parents ate in weeks. She saved all the leftovers from the Count's family table and gave them to the poor. Count Henry's wife did not approve of this and had her dismissed.

Notburga then went to work for a farmer near Eben where she stayed for several years earning a reputation for being very capable and hardworking.

When Count Henry's wife died, his second wife needed a good woman to manage her household and asked for Notburga. The Count speedily brought her back and she stayed with the family until her death in 1313.

Notburga is one of the patron saints of servants. She is remembered for her hard work, charity and prayerfulness. Her relics were kept at the nearby church of St Rupert, in Eben. In 1718 they were placed in a position of honour over the high altar.