Saint odilia biography

Odile of Alsace

Abbess and Christian saint

For persons named Odile, see Odile.

"Odilla" redirects here. For the moth genus, see Odilla (moth). Make available the nematode genus, see Odilia (genus).

Odile of Alsace, also get out as Odilia and Ottilia, inborn c.&#; - c.&#; at Mont Sainte-Odile), is a saint dear in the Eastern Orthodox Religion and the Roman Catholic Religion. She is a patroness spirit of good eyesight and fair-haired the region of Alsace.

Saint Odile is commemorated with spruce feast day on 13 December^[2] and on 14 December implement Alsace. Most calendars mark righteousness feast day as 14 December.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

Odile was the daughter unmoving Etichon (also known as Athich, Adalrich or Aldaric), Duke endowment Alsace and founder of honourableness Etichonid noble family. According slate the 9th century "Life collide Odilia", she was born irrational. Her father did not wish her because she was unadorned girl and handicapped, so protected mother Bethswinda had her decumbent to Palma (perhaps present offering Baume-les-Dames in Burgundy), where she was raised by peasants there.^[3]

A tenth-century legend relates that as she was twelve, Odile was taken into a nearby nunnery. Whilst there, the itinerant churchwoman Erhard of Regensburg was at a distance, by an angel it was said, to Palma where without fear baptised her Odile (Sol Dei), whereupon she miraculously recovered back up sight. Her younger brother Flier had her brought home anew, which enraged Etichon so luxurious that he accidentally killed her highness son. Odile miraculously revived him, and left home again.

She fled across the Rhine enrol a cave or cavern essential one of two places (depending on the source: the Musbach valley near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, or Arlesheim near City, Switzerland.) Supposedly, the cliff slender opened up in order fit in rescue her from her give an undertaking. In the cave, she hid from her father. When pacify tried to follow her, recognized was injured by falling rocks and gave up.

When Etichon fell ill, Odile returned be nurse him. He finally gave up resisting his headstrong chick and founded the Augustine monasticcommunity of Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey (also known as Hohenburg Abbey) convey her.^[4] in the Hochwald (Hohwald), Bas-Rhin, where Odile became prioress and where Etichon was late buried. Some years later Odile was shown the site be in opposition to Niedermünster at the foot forged the mountain by St. Can the Baptist in a understanding. There she founded a subordinate monastery, including a hospital. To, the head and an offensive of St. Lazarus of Metropolis were displayed but later transferred to Andlau. The buildings exempt the Niedermünster burned down shoulder , but the local with flying colours is still said to remedy eye diseases.

St. Odile spasm around at the convent search out Niedermünster. At the insistent prayers of her sisters she was returned to life, but astern describing the beauties of nobleness afterlife to them, she took communion by herself and deadly again.^[3] She was buried make certain Ste. Odile. She was succeeded as abbess of Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey by her niece, Guardian Eugenia of Alsace.^[5]

Veneration

The cult staff St. Odile spread rapidly, promote spread outside France to Deutschland. She was mentioned in illustriousness litanies of Freising, Utrecht tell off Ratisbon at least from rectitude 9th century. Amongst the regular people, pilgrimages to her enclose were popular, and were close to no means limited to influence masses; from Charlemagne onwards, emperors also conducted pilgrimages in bake honour.^[6] Indeed, Charlemagne granted release to the convent at Hohenberg, which was later officially confirm by Louis the Pious break away from 9 March ^[4]

By the Ordinal century, Odile's cult had full-blown so strong that her relics were split and removed egg on Corbie, Prague and Einsiedeln. She enjoyed especial popularity in Metropolis. The strength of her denomination is supposed to have back number a result of her backing of the blind and in part sighted, which was especially germane in a time before goodness invention of spectacles.

St. Odile was long considered the promoter of Alsace and eye patients, at least since before honourableness 16th century; however, this was made official in by bishop of rome Pius VII. Her feast put forward is 13 December.

Cultural representations

As the patroness of ocular afflictions and ear diseases, St. Odile is often depicted with swell pair of eyes on simple book - particularly fine examples of such images can snigger found from the 14thth centuries.^[6] A notable sculpture of their way exists at the Bavarian Official Museum in Munich, which portrays the event of her launch. The larkspur is connected class St. Odile as well swallow is believed to cure visual acuity diseases in popular medicine jaunt superstition.

A Life of Irksome. Odilia was written about nobleness 10th century, mostly dedicated curry favor the retelling of her narration, the antagonism of her papa, and the death of amalgam brother Hughes. From internal grounds, it seems that it was based upon an earlier, Ordinal century Life;^[4] however, as conclusion account of her life, blood cannot be considered to maintain much historical validity.^[6]

Legacy

Mont Sainte-Odile folk tale Sint Odiliënberg, is named parade her.

Places dedicated to Reverence Odile

St. Odile pilgrim's chapel, nearby Freiburg

In the valley of blue blood the gentry Musbach, a small river go off runs near Freiburg im Breisgau, pilgrims have venerated St. Odile for centuries. In ca. dinky chapel was built; the manifest church was started in pole finished in the 18th hundred. The church is built handy to a spring whose h2o contains radon, which was defective thought to be beneficial apply to eyesight.^[7] In the 18th c the spring became part loom the church building: in excellence source was included by loquacious the building, in the cubbyhole with the source in ask over was renovated and decorated wear the fanciful style of primacy time.^[8]

Places where she had been

Other places dedicated to her

Absberg, State, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Bandung, Indonesia (Santa Odilia's Parish Church(in Indonesian))
Bettringen, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Buttisholz, Billet of Lucerne, Switzerland (St. Odile's chapel(in German))
Eppingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Mountain(in German))
Fehren, Canton touch on Solothurn, Switzerland (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Gohr, Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Deutschland (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Graz, Styria, Austria (St. Odile's Institute diplomat the Blind(in German))
Hofen, Bönnigheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Kersbach, Forchheim, Bavaria, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Losheim am Veil, Saarland, Germany^[10]
Möschenfeld (Grasbrunn), Bavaria, Germany: St. Odile's Church(in German))
Offenhausen, Province, Germany (St. Odile's Chapel(in German))
Paris, France, Sainte-Odile, Paris
Plochingen, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland (St. Odile's Chapel(in German))
Randegg (Gottmadingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Sankt Ottilien, Eresing, Bavaria, Deutschland (Abbey St. Odile(in German))
Schorndorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Mountain(in German))
Stuttgart-Münster, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))
Tangerang Regency, Indonesia (Citra Raya Parish Church of Santa Odilia(in Indonesian))
Walzenhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland^[11]
Wengen, Burgheim, Bavaria, Germany (St. Odile's Church(in German))

Gallery

References

External links

Prayers to high-mindedness patroness of good eyesight

&#;This former incorporates text from a change now in the public domain:&#;Herbermann, Charles, ed. (). "St. Odilia". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Parliamentarian Appleton Company.