Saint Alice of Schaerbeek
Saint Alice of Schaerbeek (born c. 1204 AD in Schaerbeek (modern Brussels), Duchy of Brabant (modern Belgium); died June 15, 1250 AD at La Cambre Abbey, Ixelles, Belgium) was a Cistercian nun at the Abbey of La Cambre near Brussels who went blind and contracted leprosy and became one of the great mystics of 13th-century Flanders. She is venerated for her extraordinary patience, her mystical union with the suffering Christ, and her Eucharistic devotion. Her feast day is June 15.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Alice of Schaerbeek
| Saint Alice of Schaerbeek | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 15 |
| Profession | Cistercian nun; La Cambre Abbey; child oblate (entered c. age 7); mystic; blind; afflicted with leprosy; Eucharistic mystic |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Cistercian Order; 13th-century Flemish mysticism; Belgian Cistercian tradition; La Cambre Abbey; women mystics of Brabant |
| Patronage | The blind; those afflicted with leprosy and skin diseases; those suffering from chronic illness; those who have lost their sight; mystics; Cistercian nuns; Belgium; those with disabilities who seek union with Christ |
| Attributes | Cistercian habit; bandages or veils over her eyes (blindness); a monstrance or chalice (Eucharistic devotion); lily of virginity; La Cambre Abbey in the background; the wounds of Christ (her mystical participation in the Passion) |
| Birthplace | Schaerbeek, Duchy of Brabant (modern Brussels, Belgium) |
| Death Place | La Cambre Abbey, Ixelles (near Brussels), Belgium |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died June 15, 1250 AD, at La Cambre Abbey; she had been ill for many years with leprosy and blindness; her final years were marked by severe physical suffering combined with intense mystical experience; she died peacefully at La Cambre; she was approximately 46 years old; she had entered La Cambre as a young girl (approximately age 7) and had spent nearly her entire life there; the last years of her life she was isolated from the community due to the leprosy but continued to receive the Eucharist |
| Primary Shrine | Abbey of La Cambre, Brussels (Ixelles) — the historic site of her life and death; June 15 feast; the abbey church and buildings survive as a cultural monument |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Roman Rite); June 15; Feast in Belgium and Cistercian Order |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed locally in Belgium and the Cistercian Order |
Biography
Alice was born c. 1204 in Schaerbeek, near Brussels, in the Duchy of Brabant. At approximately age 7 she was brought to La Cambre, a recently founded Cistercian abbey in the Forest of Soignes near Brussels, where she was raised as a child oblate and eventually professed as a nun.
In her twenties she began to lose her sight. She also contracted leprosy, which required her to be separated from the main community. These two afflictions might have crushed her spirit, but instead her mystical life deepened. She became particularly devoted to the Eucharist — her inability to see the elevated host caused her great sorrow, but also led to a more interior form of Eucharistic union.
She belongs to the extraordinary flowering of Flemish women mystics in 13th-century Brabant, a group that also included Blessed Mary of Oignies and Blessed Juliana of Liège.
She died June 15, 1250, at La Cambre. Her feast is observed on June 15.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Schaerbeek, Duchy of Brabant (modern Brussels, Belgium)
Death location: La Cambre Abbey, Ixelles (near Brussels), Belgium
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Known shrines
- Abbey of La Cambre, Ixelles, Brussels — her monastic home; the abbey buildings and chapel survive as a cultural monument.
Feast day
June 15
Veneration
Saint Alice of Schaerbeek was a 13th-century Cistercian nun at La Cambre near Brussels who went blind and contracted leprosy. Her patient acceptance of suffering as union with Christ and her intense Eucharistic devotion made her one of the great Flemish mystics. Feast June 15.
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