| Saint Alena | |
|---|---|
| Saint & Martyr | |
| Born | Dilbeek near Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | c. 640 |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Major shrine | Forest, Belgium |
| Feast | 24 June |
| Patronage | toothaches and eye trouble |
Saint Alena (died c. 640) 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.
brb