Frédégonde (545 † 597), Queen of Soissons and Neustria, third wife of Chilpéric I buried in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Made in the middle of the twelth century, the funerary effigy of the cruel and ambitious Frédégonde, simple servant who became Queen by means of bloody attacks, is one of the most ancient known. This recumbent effigy is distinguished in the originality of the technique used. The thick white limestone flagstone was hollowed and set with colored precious stones and brass filets, thus revealing the face, hands and feet originally painted.
Fredegonde's funerary effigy © Pascal Lemaître / Centre des monuments nationaux
Other recumbent statues from the Merovingian dynasty are visible at Basilica cathedral in Saint-Denis.
