Saint Oda of Scotland (c. 680 – c. 726) was a woman, supposedly of Scottish origin, who became a holy recluse in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Her feast day is 23 October.

Life

Oda was born blind and her father sent her on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

to visit the relics of Saint Lambert. While praying at his grave she was miraculously cured of her blindness, as recorded in the saint's 8th century '' vitae.'' Vowing to dedicate her life to God, she returned to Scotland.Jongen, Ludo ''Heiligenlevens in Nederland en Vlaanderen'', Amsterdam, 1998
/ref> According to records written in the 13th century, her father wanted to arrange a marriage for her. Because of her vow she and her maid fled across the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. After a

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel ( it, Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo) is a Roman Catholic shrine on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia. It has the dignit ...

, Oda prayed in various villages in the

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and finally settled in

Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as o ...

, only to be repeatedly disturbed by

magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...

s. Seeking solitude, she fled from the magpies and the birds led her to an open space in the forest. There the villagers built a hut for her."5 lesser-known Scottish saints", ''The Scotsman'', June 12, 2017
/ref> In order to protect her humble shelter from the wind, hail, rain and snow and to hide it from the view of the world, Oda planted some bushes. The following day they had already grown into a thick hedge. Her father sought for her, and as in the story of St.

Dymphna Dymphna is a Christian saint honoured in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. According to tradition, she lived in the 7th century and was martyred by her father. The story of Dymphna was first recorded in the 13th century by a canon of ...

, her location was disclosed by her use of coins from her homeland. However, when he attempted to approach her hut, magpies repeatedly drove him off. Eventually he gave up and returned to Scotland without her. She remained there as a hermitess.

Iconography

Saint Oda is usually depicted wearing a long blue gown with one shoulder bare and carying a staff or a book (symbolic of her cured blindness). She is always shown with a magpie on her hand and a crown under her feet (symbolic of her rejection of her earthly father's kingdom). Sint-Oedenrode vlag

Veneration

After Oda's death, her humble hut became a place of pilgrimage. "Saint Oda's place in the woods" became the town of

Sint-Oedenrode Sint-Oedenrode () is a town in the province of North Brabant. Sint-Oedenrode is a moderately urbanized town in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch. Sint-Oedenrode had an unknown population as of and has an area of . On 1 January 2017 Sint-Oedenrode ...

, Netherlands (in Dutch, a small manmade open space in the woods is called a ''rode''). Like the flag of Scotland, the flag of Sint-Oedenrode is a white saltire on a blue field.Flag of Sint-Oedenrode North Brabant
/ref> Pieces of Saint Oda's skull and teeth are kept in the Saint Martin Church of Sint-Oedenrode. Various statues and paintings are kept in a chapel dedicated to Oda in the church's garden.

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

s visited Saint Oda for relief of sore eyes and other illnesses related to the head.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oda 8th-century Christian saints 680 births 720s deaths Dutch Roman Catholic saints Belgian Roman Catholic saints Scottish princesses Medieval Scottish saints 8th-century Scottish people 8th-century Scottish women Female saints of medieval Scotland