Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena. Detail of a work by Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1515
Virgin and Doctor of Church
Born	1347-03-25, Siena, Italy
Died	1380-04-29, Rome, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Catholicism, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Canonized	1461 by Pope Pius II
Feast	April 29; (formerly April 30)
Attributes	Dominican nun's habit, lily, book, crucifix, heart, crown of thorns, stigmata, ring, dove, rose, skull, miniature church, miniature ship bearing Papal coat of arms
Patronage	against fire, bodily ills, diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, Europe, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, nurses, people ridiculed for their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness, television
Saints Portal

Saint Catherine of Siena, O.P. (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380) was a Tertiary (a lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order, and a scholastic philosopher and theologian. She was born into a prosperous urban family, her parents being Giacomo di Benincasa, a cloth-dyer, and Lapa Piagenti, a daughter of a local poet. She was their 23rd child out of 25 (Catherine’s twin sister, the 24th, died at birth). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2024x3055, 377 KB) Description: Title: de: Die Hl. ... Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486 - 1551), Italian painter, of the school of Siena. ... 1515 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411). ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Piazza del Campo Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. ... September 8 - Battle of Kulikovo - Russian forces under Grand Prince Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow resist a large invasion by the Blue Horde, Lithuania and Ryazan, stopping their advance at Kulikovo. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... This article is about the process of declaring saints. ... Events February 2 - Battle of Mortimers Cross - Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in Wales. ... Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Latin Aeneas Sylvius), (October 18, 1405 – August 14, 1464) was Pope from 1458 until his death. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint symbology was important to people who couldnt read because they can figure out what symbols mean. ... St. ... Cardinals place their coat of arms in their titular church in Rome: arms of Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos at Ecclesiastical heraldry is the tradition of heraldry developed by Christian clergy. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... The Order of Preachers (Ordo Praedicatorum), more commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic religious order. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411). ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 8 - Battle of Kulikovo - Russian forces under Grand Prince Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow resist a large invasion by the Blue Horde, Lithuania and Ryazan, stopping their advance at Kulikovo. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Third Order. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... “Dominicans” redirects here. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus, which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100–1500. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

Life

A native of Siena, Catherine received no formal education. At the age of seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ despite her family's opposition. Her parents wanted her to live a normal life and marry, but against her parents' will, she dedicated her life to praying, meditating and living in total solitude into her late teens. At the age of sixteen, she took the habit of the Dominican Tertiaries. She truly shows beatitudes, such as " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" Piazza del Campo Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. ...

Catherine dedicated her life to helping the ill and the poor, where she took care of them in hospitals or homes. She rounded up a group of followers, both women and men, and traveled with them along Northern Italy where they asked for a reform of the clergy, the launch of a new crusade and advised people that repentance and renewal could be done through "the total love for God." Catherine also dedicated her life to the study of religious texts. (342)

In about 1366, Catherine experienced what she described in her letters as a 'Mystical Marriage' with Jesus, after which she began to tend the sick and serve the poor. In 1370 she received a series of visions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, after which she heard a command to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life of the world. Being illiterate, she dictated several letters to men and women in authority, especially begging for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy and for the return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, also asking him to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States. Events Births Anne of Bohemia, Queen consort of Richard II of England. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Events Beginning of the rule of Poland by Capet-Anjou family. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... Illustration for Dantes Purgatorio (18), by Gustave Doré, an imaginative picturing of Purgatory. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... Gari Melchers, Mural of Peace, 1896. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... For the Municipality in Quebec, see Avignon Regional County Municipality, Quebec. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Pope Gregory XI (c. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Coat of arms Map of the Papal States; the reddish area was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, the rest (grey) in 1870. ...

In June of 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to make peace with the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She had tried to convince Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome, the rightful capital of the papacy. (Hollister 343) She impressed the Pope so much that he returned his administration to Rome in January of 1377. During the Western Schism of 1378 she was an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who summoned her to Rome, and stayed at Pope Urban VI's court and tried to convince nobles and cardinals of his legitimacy. She lived in Rome until her death in 1380. The problems of the Western Schism would trouble her until the end of her life. // Events March – The treaty between England and France is extended until April of 1377. ... For the Municipality in Quebec, see Avignon Regional County Municipality, Quebec. ... Florence (Italian, Firenze) is a city in the center of Tuscany, in central Italy, on the Arno River, with a population of around 400,000, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000. ... Pope Gregory XI (c. ... For other uses, see Pope (disambiguation). ... // Events January 17 – Pope Gregory XI enters Rome. ... Historical map of the Western Schism: red is support for Avignon, blue for Rome The Western Schism or Papal Schism (also known as the Great Schism of Western Christianity) was a split within the Catholic Church (1378 - 1417). ... Events March - John Wyclif tried to gain public favour by laying his theses before parliament, and then made them public in a tract. ... Pope Urban VI (Naples c. ... Pope Urban VI (Naples c. ... September 8 - Battle of Kulikovo - Russian forces under Grand Prince Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow resist a large invasion by the Blue Horde, Lithuania and Ryazan, stopping their advance at Kulikovo. ... Historical map of the Western Schism: red is support for Avignon, blue for Rome The Western Schism or Papal Schism (also known as the Great Schism of Western Christianity) was a split within the Catholic Church (1378 - 1417). ...

Catherine's letters are considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature. More than 300 letters have survived. In her letters to the Pope, she often referred to him affectionately as "Papa" or "Daddy" ("Babbo" in Italian). Her major work is the Dialogue of Divine Providence.

Catherine died of a stroke in the spring of 1380 in Rome. She died at the age of thirty-three, the same age at which Jesus Christ died. The people of Siena wished to have her body. There is a myth that explains how Catherine's head was able to get to Siena, where it has been entombed in the basilica of San Domenico. The people of Siena knew they could not get her whole body past Roman guards and decided to take only her head which they placed in a bag. They were still stopped by guards and they prayed to Catherine to help them because they knew Catherine would rather be in Siena. When they opened the bag to show the guards, it no longer held her head, but was full of rose petals. Once they got back to Siena they reopened the bag and her head reappeared. Because of this myth, Catherine is often seen holding a rose. For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Rose (disambiguation). ...

St. Catherine's body is buried in the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, which is near the Pantheon. Facade of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. ... Look up Pantheon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Veneration

Pope Pius II canonized Catherine in 1461. Her feast day was not included in the Tridentine Calendar. When it was later added to the Roman Calendar, it was put on 30 April, the day after the date on which she died, which was already taken up by the feast of Saint Peter of Verona. In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints it was decided to leave celebration of him to local calendars, because he was less known worldwide, and Saint Catherine's feast was finally put on 29 April.^[1] Other Christians also, including Lutherans, commemorate her on the day of her death. Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Latin Aeneas Sylvius), (October 18, 1405 – August 14, 1464) was Pope from 1458 until his death. ... This article is about the process of declaring saints. ... Events February 2 - Battle of Mortimers Cross - Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in Wales. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... For the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1955, see Traditional Catholic Calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Pope Paul VI gave her the title of Doctor of the Church in 1970 - making her the first woman, along with Saint Teresa of Ávila, to receive this honor. In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her one of Europe's patron saints. She is also the patroness of the historically Catholic American sorority, Theta Phi Alpha. This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... In Roman Catholicism, a Doctor of the Church (Latin doctor, teacher, from Latin docere, to teach) is a saint from whose writings the whole Christian Church is held to have derived great advantage and to whom eminent learning and great sanctity have been attributed by a proclamation of a pope... For other saints with similar names, please see Saint Teresa. ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born   []; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as the 264th Pope of... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

She is the patron saint of Italy along with Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis of Assisi, St. ...

References

See also

• Avignon Papacy
• Western Schism
• Relics
• Christian mystics
• Flying Saints
• Stigmata
• War of the Eight Saints
• Order of Preachers
• The Incorruptibles

The Papal palace in Avignon In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1377 during which seven popes, all French, resided in Avignon: Pope Clement V: 1305–1314 Pope John XXII: 1316–1334 Pope Benedict XII: 1334–1342 Pope Clement VI... Historical map of the Western Schism: red is support for Avignon, blue for Rome The Western Schism or Papal Schism (also known as the Great Schism of Western Christianity) was a split within the Catholic Church (1378 - 1417). ... For other uses, see Relic (disambiguation). ... Not everyone listed here is Christian or a mystic, but all have contributed to the Christian understanding of connection to or direct experience of God. ... This is a collection of Roman Catholic individuals that are reported to have had the stunning ability to rise into the air in spite of their weight. ... For other senses of this word, see stigma and stigmata (disambiguation). ... Combatants Papal States Coalition of Italian city-states: Florence Milan Siena Commanders John Hawkwoodα Robert of Genevaβ Otto della guerra αUntil 1377 βFrom 1377 The War of the Eight Saints (1375-1378) was a war between Pope Gregory XI and a coalition of Italian city-states led by Florence, which... The Dominican Order, (its formal name, Ordo praedicatorum or the Order of Preachers, is less common in English; in England and some other countries the Dominicans are referred to as Blackfriars on account of the black cowl or cloak they wear over their white habits. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Catherine of Siena

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Saint Catherine of Siena

• Works by Catherine of Siena at Project Gutenberg
• "St. Catherine of Siena" by Edmund G. Gardner. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908.
• Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin at EWTN
• Letters of Catherine from Gutenberg
• Saint Catherine of Siena: text with concordances and frequency list
• Drawn by Love. The Mysticism of Catherine of Siena

Hollister, Warren C. and Judith M. Bennett. Medieval Europe: A Short History. 9th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 2002. p. 342-343. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the Roman Catholic Church, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. Starting in 1993, the encyclopedia (now in the public domain) was placed on the Internet through a world-wide... EWTN - or The Eternal Word Television Network - is a television and radio operation that broadcasts Catholic religious programming, via satellite and shortwave radio. ...