She hoped in this way to prevent the powerful Bishop of Utrecht from taking charge of her abbey in Egmond. The story goes that she even changed her name from Geertruid to Petronilla to demonstrate her loyalty to the pope – her new name was a reference to the eponymous martyr who was assumed to be the daughter of Peter the Apostle, the ‘antecedent’ of the popes. The Tympanum of Egmond Abbey , which Petronilla commissioned, clearly illustrates this political and religious connection. It shows Petronilla and her son Dirk praying to Peter, who is depicted not as an apostle but as a pope.
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