Alena

Alena, also known as Alène or Alina, is a Christian saint who was martyred around the year 640. or Alena of Belgium, having died in Forest, Belgium, which is now one of the nineteen municipalities of Brussels.

Life

The traditional account of Alena's life, dating to the twelfth century, states that she was born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, to noble pagan parents Levold and Hildegaart. Alena chose to be baptized without the knowledge of her parents. As a Christian, she had to attend Mass secretly.

Recent analysis shows that the remains kept in Forest are unlikely in fact to be Alena's relics: carbon-14 dates are 9th-10th century and the size and shape of the bones strongly suggest a male rather than female body (conclusive DNA testing was not possible).

Alena is depicted in art as a princess clinging to a tree stump or with one arm torn off. She might also be portrayed healing a blind man, or with an angel helping her. Her feast is cited as 19 June in Italy, and 24 June by English-language sources. The Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of North America commemorates her on 18 June. She does not appear in the index of the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology.