Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/104

90 90 ST. ATZIN who was the serrant of the dmmmer, liad the curiosity to look back. He was immediately drowned. Whereupon the drummer told Attracta that if he did not without delay have his boy back safe, he would slander her throughout the world. So she prayed for the resur- rection of the lad. An angel told her she was troubling God too much : never- theless, she should have her wish, but she must ask St. Foelan to raise the youth. St. Foelan was lying asleep or dead, with a stone in each hand, and another in his mouth. He arose as out of an ecstasy, and raised the drowned boy to life. Many other miracles are told of her. Once on a time, Eeannfaeland, King of Gonnaught, ordered that all his sub- jects, including the clergy, should help to build him a beautiful castle. Attracta begged to bo excused from this seryice, promising the king instead fair winds for his ships to bring beautiful things from unknown countries, that the king- dom should remain in his family for ever, and many other advantages, which he so undervalued as not to accept the bargain. So she went in a rage to the forest, with St. Nathy and a few men and horses, to cut down trees and saw up the prescribed quantity of wood. One of her servants suggested that, in- stead of the horses, the stags of the forest might as well carry the wood to the king — so the stags came to be laden. Attracta pulled a few long hairs out of her own head ; with these she tied the planks on to the stags, and sent them off to the king. Instead of being con- verted by the miracle, he hardened his heart like Pharaoh, and set his dogs at the stags ; but the devil entered into the dogs, &ey bit the king and queen and everybody who tried to defend them, and most of the courtiers were killed. The stags returned in peace to the forest, and the dogs were turned into stones. These incidents are told in a frag- ment of a Life of this saint, which Colgan gives (Feb. 1^) in his collection of Irish Saints. It is supposed to be the work of a Cistercian monk of the 11th century, and to be quite destitute of foundation. The beginning and end of the story are lost. Attracta appears in some Irish calendars on Aug. 7. Butler and Lanigan say she was an Irish nun, who lived and died at a place still called Eillaraght, which is a con- traction of Kil Attracta, the church or cell of Attracta. Some accounts say sho received the religious veil from St. Patrick, who lived in the 5th century, but Lanigan thinks she was a sister of St. Coemgen, and lived, in the 7 th or late in the (Uh century, in a convent founded by St. Patrick a century before, but which afterwards took her name. There are several places in Ireland called Eil Attracta : this one is in Sligo. See also AA.SS. and Britannia Sancta. St. Atzin, ACHACHILDIS. St. Aubierge, Ethelburga (3). St. Aucega, or Acceia, June 1, M- A queen of the barbarians, called in some martyrologies Aucias, or Auceia, king, commemorated with a great num- ber of Christians martyred, either all at Thessalonica, or some of them there and some at Rome. The story given by PapebPoch (AA.SS., June 25) of St. LucEJA, v., and St. Auoeja, king of the barbarians, appears to be the same. St. Aucta, patron of Lisbon. Cahier, St. Auda, Alda. St. Audata, March 28, M. at Cfesaroa. AA.SS. St. Audex, Nov. 18, V. Sir H. Nicolas, Chronology of Hiitonj. St. Audientia, Feb. 5. A holy woman, mother of St. Avitus. Wife of St. Isicius. BoUandus is doubtful whether she is to be placed among the saints or not. AA.SS.i Prseter. B. Audouvaria, Audovbra. B. Audovera, Aug. 17 (Andovera, Audovaria). "t" 583. Queen of France, the first wife whom we know by name of Chilperio I., King of France. Wion says she was the daughter of a prince of Spain; but perhaps he confounds her with St. Galswintha, another wife of the same king. During the absence of Chilperic, Audovera gave birth to her fifth child,Childechinda,and,being a very pious woman, she was desirous to have her admitted as soon as possible into the Church by baptism. Her confiden- tial bat treacherous maid, Fredegunda,