St. Adele

Adela of Pfalzel (between 660 and 675 – c. 716), sometimes called Adula or Adolana, was a Frankish noblewoman and Catholic saint. She came from a wealthy family closely connected to the Carolingian dynasty, and was probably related to Irmina of Oeren; some sources also call her the daughter of the Frankish king Dagobert II. She was the sister of Plektrudis and married to a nobleman. Adula became a widow early on and then lived entirely in prayer and works of charity, with her piety widely praised.

Family

Dagobert acceded to the throne of Austrasia at the age of seven, upon the death of Sigebert III, but was quickly deposed. Dagobert fled to Ireland but returned to Metz in 673 and claimed the throne. During his exile, some have said he married an Anglo-Saxon princess named Matilda (or Mechthilde) and had five children, with saints Adela and Irmina among them.

Life

Adela was married and had a child by her husband, Alberic. Alberic died within a few years of the marriage. Despite multiple marriage offers, she chose to take up religious life. She founded the convent of Palatiolum in lands that were then undeveloped outside of Trier. The site later developed into the town of Pfalzel. She was the second abbess of this convent, after the archbishop's sister Severa, and died on December 24, 735.

Some sources record that she was the grandmother of Gregory of Utrecht.