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Odile of Alsace
Christian abbess and saint
SaintResearchedBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 13 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
662
Died
720
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Odile, daughter of the Frankish lord Adalrich, founded the convent of Hohenburg (Odilienberg) in Alsace. Her tenth-century life says she was born blind and received her sight at baptism.
She died about 720 and is patroness of Alsace; she is shown with a book bearing two eyes.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A foundress who received the light of faith and of sight together.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Odilia
- Wikidata Q269867 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Odile of Alsace (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.