had time to reflect on a great many things, and, by God's grace, she resolved never to condescend to spiteful retaliations. Years after, when her enemies were in her power, she returned them good for evil. She never forgot a kindness or remembered an injury. Besides many benefactions to divers churches, nunneries, and other monasteries, she resolved to make a thank-offering to God for her worldly prosperity, by building a church for each of the three crowns worn by her husband and son; namely, those of Germany, Italy, and the Empire. Accordingly, she built a monastery in the kingdom of Burgundy, at Paterniac, called also Paterne and Peterlingen (Mabillon), where her mother was buried. It was dedicated in honour of the Mother of God, and she gave it to St. Majolus, who was afterwards abbot of Cluny, and was succeeded, first at Paterniac, and then at Cluny, by St. Odilo. She next built a grand church, dedicated to the Saviour of the world, in her own town of Pavia. In 987, twelve years before her death, she founded a monastery at Salsa, or Seltz, "sub libertate Romana," dedicated to God and St. Peter. It was eight years in building, and was consecrated by Widerald, bishop of Strasburg, in 995. These are the three great foundations named in St. Odilo's Life of Adelaide. Phele was also of her building, and her friend and director, St. Eumagne, was its first abbot.
By her first marriage, she had one child, Emma, who married Lothaire, king of France, and was the mother of Louis V., called le Fainéant, the last of the Carlovingian kings; he only reigned a few months, and was succeeded by Hugh Capet, 987, who was Adelaide's second cousin by birth, and nephew by marriage. By her second marriage, besides children who died young, she had Otho II. and B. Matilda, abbess of Quedlinburg.
Adelaide's romantic adventures were the subjects of song and legend for a century, particularly in Italy. Her life is promised by the Bollandists when their calendar arrives at the middle of December. The short life of her by St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, her friend and confessor, is a narrative of facts related to him by herself. It is preserved in Bouquet, Récueil de Documents; Pertz, Monumenta; Mabillon; Leibnitz; and other collections. Among the contemporary Monumenta of her time must be mentioned the writings of Hrotswitha, a nun of Gandersheim, which was one of the great nunneries founded by the house of Saxony. (See St. Hadumada.) She was one of the earliest authoresses of Germany, and besides her dramas she has left a panegyric on Otho the Great.
Many interesting particulars of the reign of Adelaide's husband, son, and grandson are pleasantly told by Giesebrecht, Deutschlands Kaiserzeit. The Golden Legend gives the nucleus of two wonderful legends of Otho IT. and Otho III., which are told at greater length and from older sources by Collin de Plancy. Bryce, Holy Roman Empire, and Gregorovius, Rom. in Mittelalter, give much interesting information about the state and the customs of Europe during the reigns of the three Othos. See also Ditmar's Chronicle; Muratori, Annales; Nouvelle Biographie Universelle; Menzel, Hist. of Germany; Yepez, Baillet, Butler, Wetzer u. Welt, Wattembach, etc.
St. Adelaide (4), Feb. 5 (Ada, Alice), V. of Willich. c. 1015. Daughter of SS. Mengo or Megengoz and Gerberg, count and countess of Gueldres. Abbess of the Benedictine monastery at Willich, near Bonn, and afterwards of that of Our Lady of the Capitol at Cologne. She was educated in a cloister, and was a pious, sensible, and studious girl. Her parents, having lost a much-loved son in battle, determined to dedicate a large portion of their wealth to the service of God. They accordingly built and richly endowed a monastery at Willich. Adelaide was appointed abbess of the new house, but before entering on this important charge she went to learn the regular observance in the monastery of Notre Dame du Capitole at Cologne. She ruled the house at Willich for several years, and was distinguished for her charity, humility, and self-denial. Her mother, Gerberg, became a nun under her, and died at Willich; her father, B. Mengo, lived three years
