Saint Ida de Leeuw

Ida of Leeuw is a saint who was born in Gors-Opleeuw and died around 1260. Ida's parents were Giselbert and Ida of Leeuw. Ida was raised by the beguines in Borgloon and at the age of 13 joined the Cistercian abbey at Rameige (Dutch: Rameien), now known as Jauchelette. She was a mystic who developed a great devotion to the Eucharist and meticulously described her spiritual development. One of her fellow sisters was Ida of Nivelles. Ida believed that her name encouraged a pious life: the I stood for the straight path, the D for Deus (God), and the A for Amor (love). The feast day of Ida of Leeuw is October 29. There is also a feast day on November 21. It was previously incorrectly assumed that this Ida came from Zoutleeuw, which also had a beguinage. This Ida of Leeuw should not be confused with Ida of Leuven (also known as Ida of Rameige), who was also called Ida of Leeuw and was also a Cistercian.