Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/290

This page needs to be proofread.
278
278

278 ST. UMBINA where her spiritual daughters built a row of little separate dwellings for ihem- selyes. The street where they stood is still called la Bue des Viergaux. She made over her authority to Aurea, her chief disciple, and returned to her soli- tude, where she died at a great age amid miraculous proofs of sanctity. One of the legends told of her is that when in her youth she settled in that marshy place, the frogs kept her awake all night, and towards morning she slept so soundly that she did not hear St. Domitius when he rattled on her door with his stick, to call her to go with him to church. She therefore forbade the frogs to croak again, and any one may verify the story by going to the place and observing that the frogs are silent there to this day. AA.SS., « Life of St. Domitius;* Oct. 23. Martin, French Mart, St Umbina, Imma (2). St. Umbrasia, M. Her body was found in 1330, with that of St. Justa (3). AA.SS. St. Umilta, Humility. St. Uncumber, Wilgeportis. Ca- hier says that English wives have a special devotion to St. Uncumber. SS. Unguentiferae, i.e, the oint- ment-bearers. The women who prepared spices and ointments to embalm the body of Christ are commemorated with Nico- demus and Joseph of Arimathea, in the Greek Church on the third Sunday after Easter, which is with us the second Sunday after Easter. AA,SS. (S^'e Joanna.) B. Uranna, Oranna. SS. Urbana or Orbana, eight MM. in divers places. AA.SS, St. Urbanna, Oranna. St Uroria, Usoria. St. Ursa, Oct. 20, V. M. at Nico- raodia, perhaps under Decius, with SS. Lucian, Marcian and others. Their relics were venerated at Vich in Cata- lonia, which gave rise to the supposition that they were natives of that place. Espana Sagrada, XXVIII. St. Ursana or Ursaria, July 5, honoured at Blangy, but has no general worship. She was mother of St. Bertha (3) and is said to have been a niece of St. Bathilde, queen of France. AA.SS. St. Ursula (l) and her Companions, Oct. 21. Date uncertain. St. UrBulais patron of Cologne, Delft, the Sorbonne, and of the Universities of Goimbra and Yienna ; of the teaching Order of the Ursulines (founded by St. Angela (7)) ; of young girls, especially school girls; of their teachers, and of the dying. She is represented in a great variety of ways. Her chief attributes are: (1) the crown, denoting her rank ; (2) three arrows, signifying the manner of her death; (3) the white banner with the red cross, the Christian standard of vic- tory; (4) the dove, because a dove revealed to St. Cunibert, the plaoe where she was buried ; (5) she is also depicted covering with her mantle the crowd of her followers. According to the generally mcoepted version of the legend, made famous by art in Italy and Oermany, Ursula was a princess; some say the daughter of Dionoc or Theonotus, king of Cornwall, or of Brittany, or of part of Ireland. Her mother was St. Daria (4) or Dona, a Sicilian. In any case Ursula appears to have been of British extraction. She was famous for her beauty, virtue and learning, and many princes desired her hand. But she refused them all, for she was a Christian and had dedicated herself perpetually to Christ. At length, Conon, son of the king of England, sent ambassadors to propose an alliance with her, and Ursula's father was cast into great perplexity, for he was aware of his daughter's vow, but he feared to offend so powerful a king by a refusaL Ursula removed the difficulty, by herself undertaking to answer the ambassadors. She promised that she would marry the prince on three con- ditions: first, he should give her for companions, ten virgins of the noblest blood in the kingdom, and to each of these a thousand attendants, and to her- self also a thousand maidens to wait on her ; secondly, he should allow her three years before the marriage, to visit the holy shrines of the saints; and thirdly, the prince and his Court should at once become Christians. She thought that he must refuse such conditions; but if he should accept them, at least she had won