Odo i>i-. CoNTEViLLE, a French prelate, half-brother of Willi.un the Conqueror, was born in Norniandv in 1032. He was made deacon at Fecamp by Hugo of Eu, bishop of Lisieux, and, although but seventeen years old, was elevated to the bishopric of Haycux in 1019 by his brother, the duke of Normandy. He at once took a great interest in tlie construction of the cathedral, to which he gave rich vases of gold and silver. In 1050 and 1054 he granted charters to the al)beys of St. Kvrould, St. Wandrille, and Mont St. ;\Iichcl. In 1055 he took
part in the provincial synod of Rouen, dedicated the church of Troarn May 13, 1059, reconstructed in 1066 the abbey of St. Vigor, and appointed over it Robert of Tombclaine. In the states -general at Lillebonne he was one of the chief promoters of the expedition against England, and furnished his brother one hundred ships for the undertaking. On the day of the battle of Hast- ings, Oct. 14, 1066, Odo said mass and blessed the ar- mies, and took an active part in the operations. After the conquest, he received as his reward the town of Do- ver, and distributed the houses among his warriors. When William returned to Normandy, he intrusted the government during his absence to Odo and William Osborn. The Saxons revolted against their desjiotic rule, and their first attack was against Dover; but Odo won against them the battle of Fagadon, in 1074. On Jidy 14, 1077, he consecrated the cathedral with great splendor. William was present with a number of bish- ops, abbots, lords, etc., and gave him the barony and forest of Ellon. On Sept. 13, 1077, Odo was present at the consecration of the church of St. Stephen at Caen, and on Oct. 23 at that of Notre Dame du Bee. After taking jiart, in May, 1080, in an assembly held at Lillebonne in presence of the duke, he went with an army through Northumberland, which had risen, putting to death or torturing all who were accused of rebellion. As a re- ward he was made count of Kent and of Hereford. Not satisfied with this, he conceived the desire of becoming pope, the see of Rome having become vacant by the death of Gregory VII. After trying to corrupt all those who he thought could serve his purpose, he raised troops in England, intending to go with them to Italy, and thus secure the object of his ambition. On hearing of these plans, William at once returned to England. He assembled his barons in the Isle of Wight in 1085, and proposed to them to imprison Odo. As they did not dare to do this, he arrested him himself, Odo claiming that as a priest he was amenable onh' to the pope; but Will- iam answered that he arrested him not as a priest, but as his subject, and answerable to him. He caused him to be kept a prisoner in the tower of the old palace at Rouen until 1087. Lii)erated at the death of William, he at once took an active part in intrigues to overthrow William II, and to crown Robert. Besieged in Roch- ester, Odo was obliged to flee from England, and return- ing to Normandy he regained his ascendency over the weak-minded Robert, and helped him to preserve his possessions. Odo consecrated, in 1092, the incestuous marriage of Philip I, king of France, with Bertrade, countess of Anjou. and as a reward received the income of all the churches of Mantes. Yet he was obliged to go to Dijon to be absolved from this fault by ]iope L^rban HI. After taking part in the Coinicil of Cler- mont in 1095, and in that of Rouen in Feb., 1096. he started with his nephew Robert for the Holy Land, but died on the way at Palermo in Feb., 1097. See Gallia Christ, vol. xi ; Ordericus Vitalis, Historia ecclesiastica ; Prevost, Hist, de Guillaume le Conquerant ; Ilermant, Hist, eccles. de Bat/eux. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxxviii, 491. (.I."N. P.)
Odo OI-" Dki'ii, (Lat. de Diogilo'),a French ecclesias- tic, was born in Deuil, in the valley of Jlontmorency. He was a simple monk in the abbey of St. Denys when the abbe Suger gave him for a secretary to Louis le Jeune, departing for Palestine. On his return he was appointed by Suger abbe of .St. Corneille de Comjiiegne. After the death of Suger, in 1151. the monks of .St. De- nys recalled him, and intrusted to him tlie goverinnent of their congregation. His ailmiiiistration was several times troid)led. He had sharp contests with the arch- bisho[) of H()urgcs and the bishop of Beauvais, who dis- puted with him the possession of some domains; that was in conformity with the spirit of the age, when the principal occupation of an abbe was to create or sustain suits oftliis kind. Odo died in 1162. He had the repu- tation of being a firm and vigilant abbe. He left a good history of the second crusade. This narrative was
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published for the first time by P. Chifflet, at the head of his work entitled >Sancli Berimrdi genus illustre <is- sertum. See Gallia Chrisliana, t.\\\,co\. 'ill ; Hisloire lift, de la France, xii, 614. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gene- rale, xxxviii, 49G.
Odo OF Fosses, near Paris, was a French monastic. He was a member of the abbey of Fosses, and died after 1058. Nothing is known of his life, except that, after having passed his youth in the abbey des Fosses, he was constrained to flee from that asylum. Only one of his writings has been preserved to us; it is the Vie de St. Biirchard, comte de Meluii, published by Jacques de Brcul, in his supplement to the Anliquites de Paris; by Uuchesne, in his Historiens de France ; and by the editors of the Bibliotheque de Cluiii, etc. This Vie con- tains interesting details upon the origin of the abbey des Fosses. It has found a place in his Histoire de Melun, which appeared in Paris in 1(528. See Histoire litteraire de la France, y'u, 493. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gene rule, xxxviii, 491.