St Ambrose's Church

The patron saint of the church of Dilbeek is Saint Alena. You can still see the scene of the story of Saint Alena at the front of the church on the right: 'the ripping off of the arm'. Saint Alena is said to have lived in the 7th century and was the daughter of the pagan lord of Dilbeek. Against her father's wishes, Alena converted to the Christian faith and secretly went through the woods to Forest every evening to attend the worship service. During one of those trips, she was caught by a soldier of her father. Alena resisted and clung to a tree. The soldiers pulled with all their strength so that Alena's arm was torn out and she fell down dead. An angel brought the torn arm to the altar in Forest. Her body was also buried there and soon miracles happened at her grave. At the end of the 12th century, saint Alena was canonized and since then Saint Alena has been venerated as a patroness against, among other things, eye and dental ailments. This saint is invoked here against eye diseases.

Dromos