Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/133

Rh St. Olla, Oct. 9, 27. 11th or 12th century. Lived and died at a village called after her, Ste. Olle, near Cambrai, on the road to Arras. AA.SS. Stadler. Destombes, Vies des Saints...de Camhrai et d'Arras.

St. Olphe,.

St. Olympias (l), April 15, M. 251, with St. Maximus, at Cordula in Persia. AA.SS.

St. Olympias (2), 4th century. Queen. One of forty-five martyrs for the Christian faith at Nicopolis. Dulaurier, Église Arménienne.

St. Olympias (3) the Elder. Queen. Called, perhaps erroneonsly, a Martyr. Daughter of Ablavius, prefect of the prætorium (326-337), under Constantine and Constantius. She was betrothed to Constans, son of Constantine, and afterwards emperor. Ablavius was deposed and put to death by Constantius, and Constans then took care of Olympias as long as he lived, but it is not known whether he married her. He died in 350, and ten years afterwards Constantius gave her in marriage to Arsaces, king of Armenia, who died in 369. Baronius conjectures that she may have married again and been the mother of the younger and more famous. Lightfoot and Daniel in Smith and Wace.

St. Olympias (4), Jan. 12, M. supposed 6th century, with SS. Tigrius and Eutropius. Canisius. Perhaps the same as or.

St. Olympias (5), Dec. 17, July 25, c. 368—c. 410. Deaconess. Called the Glory of the widows of the Eastern Church. Daughter of Seleucus, a count of the empire and a man of illustrious birth and immense wealth. Olympias was the greatest heiress in Constantinople; she was not more than a baby when she was left an orphan, fabulously rich. She came of a pagan family, but her uncle and guardian, Procopius, was a Christian and was both prudent and upright. He entrusted her education to Theodosia, sister of St. Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium. This step was taken probably by the advice of St. Gregory Nazianzen (son of ), an intimate friend of Procopius. He was related to Theodosia and pronounced her a pattern of Christian conduct. Gregory was archbishop of Constantinople for some part of the twelve years during which Olympias was the pupil of Theodosia. He was much attached to the child and was pleased when she called him, "Father." Her intercourse with him, at this impressionable age, helped to make her the learned and serious girl who found the young women of her age and class too narrow and too frivolous to be interesting. She was married in 384 to Nebridius, a young man of good character and high station. In 386 he became prefect of Constantinople, but he died in the same year, twenty months after his marriage. The Emperor Theodosius the Great planned to marry the beautiful young widow to a relation of his own, the Spaniard Elpidius. She, however, declared a steadfast intention to remain a widow. Elpidius hoped to tire out her resistance to his suit, and to this end persuaded the Emperor to deprive her of the administration of her property until she should arrive at the age of thirty. She thanked Theodosius for relieving her of the management of her revenues, and begged that they might be spent on the poor and on the churches. The Emperor was piqued that she did not eagerly acquiesce in an alliance with his family, and was easily persuaded by Elpidius to annoy her further, by forbidding her to go to church or to associate with the bishops and learned clergy whose society was her delight. After a year or two Theodosius saw that her choice of a religious life was irrevocably decided and that it would be unjust to deprive her any longer of her rights. He therefore restored to her the full control of her estates. From this time she gave up herself and her wealth to objects of religion and charity. She allowed herself but the scantiest food, the poorest clothing and the minimum of sleep, and she denied herself the luxury of a bath, although in that age and country it was deemed a necessary of life. She devoted herself to the care of the poor and the sick, gathering around her a knot of like-minded women, among whom were, Procula, and