The legend of Sainte-Odile

St. Odile, patron saint of Alsace

At the end of the 7th century, Adalrich, a great Alsatian lord, was desperately hoping for an heir. But when his wife gave birth, it was to a girl, and what’s more, she was blind. Adalrich refused to accept this fate and ordered that the infant be killed. Protected by her mother, who hid her, the child was saved. When she was 12 years old, her sight miraculously returned when she was baptised. She was then renamed “Odile”, meaning “child of light”. Soon after her christening, Odile expressed the desire to go back home. Her brother Hugues responded quickly, inviting her to his castle. Wild with anger, the father killed his son. But Adalrich was remorseful and called his daughter back to him, provided that she would agree to marry one of the powerful men in the kingdom. She refused. Then a second miracle occurred in the forest. Fleeing from her father, Odile struck a rock, which opened up to protect her. Adalrich, convinced of the miracle, had his Hohenbourg castle converted into a monastery, and this is how Odile became the first abbess of Hohenbourg.