Saint Alena
Encyclopedia
Saint Alena is a Christian
saint
. Born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, she was baptized without the knowledge of her pagan parents. She had to secretly attend mass and one night her father told his guards to follow her. Her father came to the conclusion that Christians had bewitched her into conversion. When her father's guards tried to arrest her she resisted, and during the fighting she lost her arm. Her severed arm was taken by an angel and placed before the altar in the chapel she attended. After these miracles her mother and father converted to Christianity
. In traditional art she is seen with one arm severed, healing a blind man, or with an angel helping her.
A chapel in the parish church of Forest
(Brussels
) - and older than the church itself - holds her cenotaph
and relics. It used to be a popular pilgrimage
site.
Saint Alena is invoked by those who have eye troubles and toothaches.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. Born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, she was baptized without the knowledge of her pagan parents. She had to secretly attend mass and one night her father told his guards to follow her. Her father came to the conclusion that Christians had bewitched her into conversion. When her father's guards tried to arrest her she resisted, and during the fighting she lost her arm. Her severed arm was taken by an angel and placed before the altar in the chapel she attended. After these miracles her mother and father converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In traditional art she is seen with one arm severed, healing a blind man, or with an angel helping her.
A chapel in the parish church of Forest
Forest, Belgium
Forest or Vorst is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The town is commonly known for its concert hall...
(Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
) - and older than the church itself - holds her cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
and relics. It used to be a popular pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site.
Saint Alena is invoked by those who have eye troubles and toothaches.