When I was at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City last March, Tony Neulat (Marketing and Business Development Director for Geneanet) asked me if I would record a short video and talk about my biggest discovery in genealogy. I accepted but told him “I made so many beautiful discoveries that it would be too long to discuss!” So I spoke about general things instead. I regretted it later, because of all the beautiful discoveries I have made so far in my years researching my (or other people’s) genealogy (and I have made so many!), Sainte Odile is one of my most touching and profound discoveries. Here is why.
When I was a little girl, I was absolutely fascinated by the story of Sainte Odile. I had a book for children called “Sainte Odile”, by Marie-Colette Mainé (in French). I grew up in a catholic family, so this was not the only “religious” book in our house. However, it was the only “religious” book that I was fascinated with. It felt like I knew her. She was just really close to my heart, for a reason I could not understand.
One morning a few years ago, I was working on my own genealogy and researching the Dukes of Alsace. I had “reached” Adalbert of Alsace (665-722) and his parents, Etichon-Adalric d’Alsace (Eticho) (Duke of Alsace from 662-690) and his wife Berswinda…. While reading more about the lives of this new set of direct ancestors, it suddenly hit me… They were the parents of Sainte Odile!
I’ll never forget that moment… A huge wave of warm energy ran through my spine… I just couldn’t believe it… All these years, I had completely forgotten about Sainte Odile (sorry, Sainte Odile…), and there she was, “part of my family tree”, my “aunt” (36 generations). I have goose bumps as I am typing these lines remembering this moment…
That’s what fascinates me, with genealogy. My research is not about “going further and further up” and say “I have this many people on my tree” (I actually don’t have a clue of “how many people are on my tree”). To me, genealogy is a lot more about following my intuiton on who to research that day, learning (or re-learning) History via the lives of individuals, regardless of their being my “direct ancestors” or not, the beautiful discoveries I make along the way, and all the connections that I have noticed over the years between people, places and events. We are all connected…
A little bit about Sainte Odile
Sainte Odile de Hohenbourg is the patroness Saint of the blind or partially sighted. She is also the patroness Saint of the Alsace region in France. She was born blind, ca. 660, and died in 720.
When her father discovered that she was born blind, he ordered her killed. However, her mother saved her by hiding her in a convent. It’s only 12 years later that she was healed and able to see, after being baptized.
In 680, she founded the Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey, also known as Hohenburg Abbey, situated on Mont Sainte-Odile, in the Vosges, in the Alsace region (east of France).
I am so grateful for the person who posted this short video “Bells ringing at the Mont Saint-Odile”. If you’ve never been to France, this is a very typical “sound of France” that you will hear in villages, towns and cities throughout France.
Another very emotional discovery I made while researching my ancestors was the Colosseum in Rome. But that’s a story for another day.
Genealogy
Here are the links to several pages on my Geneanet tree related to individuals or events mentioned in this post: (FYI: on Geneanet, the little “green circle” on an individual’s image indicates my direct lineage with the individuals).
Sainte Odile (ca 660-720)
Her parents: Etichon-Adalric d’Alsace (ca 635-690) and Berswinde de Burgondie (ca 645-700)
Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey (Hohenburg Abbey) (founded in 680)
My French Lineage 