Saint Catherine of Bologna

Birth: 8 September 1413, Bologna
Death: 9 March 1463, Bologna
Former burial place (after 18 days she was exhumed): Corpus Domini Monastery in Bologna, Via Tagliapietre 21
Books she wrote: The Seven Spiritual Weapons, Hymns, treatises and letters, and more
Paintings she created: Madonna of the Pomegranate and other works, including illuminated miniatures in prayer booklets
Parents: Giovanni Vigri, Benvenuta Mammolini
Beatification: 13 November 1703
Canonization: 22 May 1712, by Pope Clement XI

At around 9 years old, she was sent to Ferrara to the Este Court as lady-in-waiting to Margherita (the natural daughter of Niccolò III and Parisina Malatesta) and companion to the daughters of the “Chagnaccino,” a noble family. She applied herself diligently and learned: Latin, in addition to the arts of the Trivium (grammar, dialectic, rhetoric—the art of forming arguments in speech); music, poetry, drawing, illumination, and dance. She was becoming a perfectly accomplished young woman.

In 1425

Niccolò III had his unfaithful wife executed together with her son Ugo, Margherita’s brother.

In 1426

Catherine, having decided to leave the Court, joined the group of Lucia Mascheroni, an Augustinian Tertiary, together with other devout women.

From 1426 to 1429
She lived for three years an intense period of spiritual asceticism, passing through all the stages of perfection with many trials and temptations. Guided by the Friars Minor, her spiritual directors and masters on the path, she received the revelation of the forgiveness of her sins and the gift of baptismal innocence “the weapons needed for spiritual battle.”

In 1432
At 19 years old, she professed the Rule of Saint Clare of Assisi in the new Corpus Domini Monastery in Ferrara.

After 30 years,
a request arrived in Ferrara to found a monastery of Observant Poor Clares in Bologna. Catherine was chosen, together with a small group of sisters, and she was ordered by her superiors to take the name “Catherine of Bologna.” She became ill out of sorrow for leaving Ferrara.

On 22 July 1456
Catherine, with 15 sisters and her mother Benvenuta—who had entered the convent after the death of her husband and father of the future saint—departed for Bologna. Catherine was gravely ill and seemed close to death, but upon arriving in Bologna she recovered.
Her Superior, Leonarda degli Ordelaffi, said of her:  “Know and be certain that I am giving you another Saint Clare.”In Bologna, the new monastery grew and expanded. Catherine was so loved and well-known that within a year the community had increased to 60 sisters.
For seven years, Catherine gave herself completely to everyone without sparing herself.

One year before her death,
she heard an angel singing in the garden: “The Glory of God shall be seen in you.”  From that day on, Catherine often repeated these words, singing them while accompanying herself with a viola.

“The Glory of God shall be seen in you,” a phrase written in memory of the song heard by the Saint one year before her death, is visible above the case containing the body of Saint Catherine of Bologna.

Incorrupt Body

From the very day of her earthly death, extraordinary events occurred on her body. After 18 days from her burial—performed without a coffin, as prescribed by the Rule of the Franciscan Poor Clares—she was exhumed and found intact and fragrant, only slightly flattened on the face and nose, which soon miraculously returned to their natural form.

Apparition of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus

Toward the end of her service as novice mistress, she received a vision—often depicted in works of art—which can be described through her own words. Having obtained permission to spend Christmas night in the church, “she went there as early as possible,” intending to recite a hundred Hail Marys in honor of the Blessed Virgin. She did so with due attention and fervor until around midnight, the hour traditionally believed to be the moment of the Savior’s birth.

At that very hour, the Virgin Mary appeared to her, holding the Child Jesus wrapped in pure white cloths. Mary drew near and placed her Son in Catherine’s arms. One can imagine Catherine’s joy as she permitted herself to caress Him, hold Him to her chest, and bring His face close to her lips.

The Miracle of the Bread

While she was still a nun in the convent of Ferrara, Catherine also served as baker. Regarding this task, Sister Illuminata Bembo, a contemporary of the Saint, recounts a picturesque episode. One day, a sermon was to be given in the monastery, and Catherine wished dearly to attend. She placed the bread in the oven and said, “I entrust you to Christ,” then left to listen to the sermon, which lasted more than four hours.

When she returned to remove the bread—while many sisters assumed it must have been completely burnt—she found it perfectly baked. Realizing that a miracle had taken place, the sisters all wished to taste that bread immediately.

Saint Joseph’s Bowl

During her years in the convent of Ferrara, Catherine also served as portress. One day she opened the door to a pilgrim who claimed to come from the Holy Land and asked for alms. After speaking with Catherine and answering her questions, the pilgrim left her a small bowl made of a transparent material. He told her that this was the little bowl from which the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary had drunk when He was still a child. When the pilgrim left, he never returned to retrieve the bowl, which remained with Catherine, who venerated it with great devotion, convinced that it had been given to her by her Divine Spouse through Saint Joseph—whom she recognized in the figure of that mysterious pilgrim. When Catherine later had to leave for the new Corpus Domini Monastery in Bologna, she entrusted the relic to her sisters, telling them to return it to the pilgrim if he ever came back; otherwise, they were to show it and expose it to the public on March 19th, the feast of Saint Joseph. From that time on, the little bowl performed many miracles for the sick who came seeking help. Whenever a person was healed, a sweet and beautiful fragrance would emanate from the object.
The bowl is currently preserved in the Corpus Domini Monastery in Ferrara.

From the very day of her earthly death, extraordinary events occurred on her body. Eighteen days after her burial carried out without a coffin, as prescribed by the Rule of the Franciscan Poor Clares she was exhumed and found intact and fragrant, only slightly flattened on the face and nose, which soon miraculously returned to their natural shape.

All the sisters were deeply shaken, for her body emitted a perfume that spread throughout the church and the convent, permeating the hands that had touched her, with no apparent explanation.

After her complexion had become quite pale, she began to change color, becoming redder, while her body started to give off a pleasantly scented sweat. Passing from pallor to a glowing amber hue, she exuded an aromatic liquid that at times resembled clear water, and at other times a mixture of water and blood. (The sisters carefully collected this liquid and placed it in a small vial which, later becoming a relic, is still displayed in the church during the Octave dedicated to her, from March 8 to March 16 each year.)

Thus began the practice of displaying her body to the faithful, which caused great physical strain to the sisters, who for the next twelve years were obliged to lift it and show it through a small grate, since the cloistered areas were inaccessible to the public. This continued until the second miracle took place: at the request of the Mother Superiors, Catherine bent forward and took a seated position.

Since then, the Saint has been surrounded by the objects contained in the reliquaries on the walls: images from the breviary with miniatures she herself illuminated, the small viola she loved to play, the image of the vial containing the mixture of blood and aromatic fluid exuded from her body, and also some of her teeth and bones. Above her case are the remains of Blessed Paola Mezzavacca, and to the right those of Blessed Giovanna Lambertini, both sisters who lived at the time of Catherine. Also once preserved there—though unfortunately now lost—were the remains of Blessed Illuminata Bembo, who wrote the work Specchio di Illuminazione (“Mirror of Illumination”), a biography of the Saint in which she also described the extraordinary events she witnessed during Catherine’s exhumation.

In the adjacent room, other objects can be seen, including the Saint’s bed, her habit, and a crown (sadly no longer present today, as it was stolen). Isabella of Chiaramonte, Queen of Naples, found comfort in religious reading and owned a devotional booklet composed by Saint Catherine of Bologna, received as a gift from Cardinal Angelo Capranica. Having received a grace through the Saint’s intercession, she came to Bologna and offered her own crown as a gift.

Incorrupt body of Saint Catherine of Bologna visible in the chapel. 

As mistress of novices, Saint Catherine left an important treatise on spiritual life which, centuries later, continues to be useful not only for religious women but for all those who aspire to walk the paths of perfection. In the very first pages of this book, titled The Seven Spiritual Weapons, she describes the life of a Christian in these words: “At the beginning and at the end of this battle, one must pass through the stormy sea, that is, through many distressing temptations and fierce struggles.” And to help us prevail in this fight, she adds: “I wish to present to you from the outset some spiritual weapons that will allow you to fight effectively against the cunning of our enemies. But whoever wishes to enter this battle must never lay them down, for the enemies never sleep.” Saint Catherine understood religious life as that of a soldier on the battlefield, courageously facing the enemy. For this reason, she encouraged the sisters of her community with words such as: “Dearest sisters, the virtue that Christ Jesus desires to find in each one of you is that you be valiant in battle—that is, strong and steadfast in the struggle.” In her book The Seven Spiritual Weapons, she teaches that anyone who wishes to take up the cross of Jesus Christ—our Savior, who died in battle to give us life must first take up the weapons necessary for the fight:

1. Diligence, that is, eagerness in doing good, since Sacred Scripture curses those who are negligent and lukewarm in God’s ways;
   
   

2. Distrust of oneself, meaning the firm and unwavering belief that we can do no good on our own, as Christ Jesus said: “Without Me you can do nothing”;
   
   

3. Confidence in God, and for His love, with great readiness of spirit and courage, not fearing to fight against demons, the world, and one’s own flesh, which must be subjected to the Spirit;
   
   

4. Remembrance of the most glorious life of the Immaculate Lamb, Christ Jesus, and above all His holy death and Passion, always keeping before the eyes of the intellect His most pure and virginal humanity;
   
   

5. The thought of our own death, for this present time is a time of mercy in which God waits for us day after day so that we may amend our lives and grow from good to better;
   
   

6. The remembrance of the goods of Paradise, prepared for those who fight lawfully, abandoning all vain pleasures of the present life;
   
   

7. The remembrance of Sacred Scripture, with which we can conquer our enemies—Scripture that we must carry in our hearts and from which, as from a most faithful mother, we must take counsel in all things we are to do.
   
   

Other writings preserved and attributed to the Saint include: The Twelve Gardens, The Rosarium, The Sermons, Hymns, and various spiritual letters.