Aye (died c. 711) is a Belgian Catholic saint.[1] She has been referred to also as Aia,[2] Aya,[3] Agia,[4] and St. Austregildis.[5]


Aye
Statue of Saint Aya
Died~711
Belgium
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
FeastApril 18
Patronagelawsuits

She is sometimes confused with another St. Agia, the mother of the French Saint Loup of Sens.[5]

Aye is revered by the Beguines of Belgium. Her Feast Day is April 18.[1][5][2].

Little is known about Aye's early life or date of birth, but available sources state that she was the daughter of Brunulphe I, Count of the Adrennes and a relative of Saint Waldetrudis.[1] She was married to Saint Hidulf (or Hydulphe) of Hainault until both decided to enter religious life, after which point they parted ways.[4]

Aye joined the Abbey of Mons in Belgium, where she became a nun, and gave her property away to the nuns of Saint Waldetrudis.[2] The date of her death is not concretely known as sources place her death around the year 707 as well as 714.[5]

Aye is known as the patron saint of lawsuits. She is believed to have gained the title due to a lawsuit that decided "her heirs against the Canonesses of Mons".[1] A variant legend states that she righted an injustice by speaking from beyond the grave.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Holweck, Frederick (1924). A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. Detroit: Gale Research Co: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 126.
  2. ^ a b c Attwater, Donald (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: .J. Kennedy & Sons. pp. 7.
  3. ^ Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould (M.A.). "S. AYA, COUNTESS OF HAINAULT. (7TH CENT.)." In: The Lives of the Saints. Volume the Fourth: April. London: John C. Nimmo, 1897. p. 226.
  4. ^ a b Englebert, Omer (1951). The Lives of the Saints. New York: David McKay Company INC. pp. 151.
  5. ^ a b c d Andre-Driussi, Michael (2008). Lexicon Urthus, Second Edition. Sirius Fiction. p. 8.
  6. ^ "Saint Agia of Hainault". CatholicSaints.Info. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2019-05-19.