Saint Olivia

Saint Olivia
Olivia with the saints Elias, Venera and Rosalia, 13th century
Martyr
Born	Sicily
Died	9th century North Africa
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	June 10
Patronage	music; until 1624, one of the patronesses of Palermo

Saint Olivia, according to the legend, was the beautiful daughter of a noble Sicilian family. She is supposed to have lived in the 9th century. When she was 13 years old she was kidnapped by Muslims and taken as a slave to Tunis. Impressed by her virtue and beauty her abductors permitted her to live as a hermitess in a cave.

However, after she began to perform miracle cures on the local sick, many Muslims converted to Christianity. Consequently she was imprisoned and tortured. She was sentenced to be burnt to death, but the flames would not touch her. The Muslims then decapitated her, which finally killed her.

Veneration

Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Nympha, and Saint Olivia.

Saint Olivia is the patron saint of music, and her feast day is June 10.

Saint saw a vision while she was praying in her cave Not a whole lot is known about this beautiful young woman from the 9th century. When Olivia was thirteen years old, Muslims kidnapped her from her noble Sicilian family and took her to Tunis in Africa, where they made her a slave. But her abductors were so impressed by her virtue and beauty that they allowed her to live in a cave by herself. Local sick people came to her for miracle cures, which converted many Muslims to Christianity. Because of these successful conversions, Olivia was imprisoned and tortured. She was sentenced to be burned to death, but the flames would not touch her! So the Muslims beheaded her, finally killing her.

Saint Olivia is the patron saint of music, and some say it is because she liked to sing and write songs. Her feast day is June 10.

External links

• Catholic Online: St. Olivia

Persondata
Name	Olivia
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Sicily
Date of death
Place of death	North Africa