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114 B. ODA for diseases of the eye. When St. Oda Lad chosen a religious life after her cure, her father still tried to persuade her to marry, so she hid iu a wood ; but the place of her retreat was revealed by a magpie, which drew attention to it by chattering. Because of the miracles wrought at Oda's tomb, she was translated, in 1103. Le Mire, Fasti. Cahier. Butler. Brit, Sancta, Mas Latrie. B. Oda (5), April 20, V. M. 1158. Prioress of Bivroelle, in Hainault. Daughter and heiress of Wibert and Thescelina, who arranged a marriage for her befitting their rank and wealth. The ceremony was intended to be solemnized with great magnificence; numerous guests assembled, an im- mense concourse of people crowded the church and the streets. The service began ; the priest asked the bridegroom three times, according to custom, whether he would take this woman, etc. Three times he promised to be a dutiful and faithful husband. The same question was then asked of the bride for the first time. Everybody listened, but not a word was heard. The silence became embarrassing. A matron who had the privilege of standing close to the bride, exhorted her in a low voice not to be afraid to speak, and reminded her that her silence was disrespectful to her parents and to her fiance. The priest then asked for the second time, whether she accepted Simon for her husband. Oda replied that she would not have him or any other mortal man, as she had already chosen Jesus Christ for her hus- band. Simon, seeing himself rejected, left the church and returned to his own house with all haste. Wibert and Thes- celina were very angry, and Oda, fearing that they would still insist on her marry- ing this man or some other, disfigured herself by cutting off her nose with a sword. On this account, the Church places her among the martyrs. She soon afterwards took the veil, and even- tually became prioress of a Fraemonstra- tensian convent of Bivroelle, attached to the monastery of Gode Hoge (Bona Spes), which was at that time governed by the Abbot Otho, and he, after some years, promoted Oda to be prioress. AA.SS, from a contemporary Life. Le Paige, Bib. Prsemons. St. Odemaris, May 7, M. in Africa. AA SS St. OdiHa (1), Oct, 21, Nov. 21, Jan. 29, translation July 18. Patron of the crncifers of Huy. She was a companion of St. Ursula (1), and was translated from Cologne to the church of the Holy Cross at Huy, in Belgium. This Odilia is said to be the daughter of a St. Eulalia, who went on the same expedition, and to have had a sister St. DoRiA. Migne. Stadler. Potthast, who refers to a history of the translation, by Banelt. St. Odilia (2), Adilia of Orp. St. Odilia (3), Dec. 13 (Odila, Odilla, Othilda, Othilia, Ottilik, Ozilia), + c. 720. First abbess of Hohenburg. Patron of Alsace and of Strasburg, and invoked against blindness and diseases of the eye. Bepresented (1) in white, as a canon- ess, holding an open book, on which lie a pair of eyes, one on each page ; (2) praying for the soul of her &ther, an angel is seen taking him out of the flames and leading him to heaven ; (3) with St. Erard or Everard ; (4) there exists on a stone, a representation of the presentation of the nunnery to her. In this, she wears a long black doak and a veil, and has two long plaits of hair. Odilia was the daughter of Adalric or Ethico, or Hettic, a leader of the Alemanni, and first duke of Alsace; her mother was Bereswind or Berchsind, said to be a niece of St. Leodegarius (Leger). They lived at Oberenheim, about 20 miles south of Strasburg, at the foot of the hill of Hohenburg or Altitona. For years they had no chil- dren. At last, in answer to many prayers, they hoped to have a son, but the joy of Adalric turned to rage when ho found his child was not only a useless little female, but blind. He felt ashamed of it and ordered the infant to be killed, or at all events taken away and allowed to perish. At the same time he had it proclaimed with trumpets, that the duchess had given birth to a dead child. A pious woman took the babe and nursed