Wondrous Saints

On this page are wondrous Saints.

Peculiar stories about girls who were married off to someone but had a deep wish to enter a convent, one disguised herself as a monk and entered a monastery. She was exposed by an aggressive Father Abbot. Another girl prayed to God for a beard and she got one the immediately, for this here father had here crucified. One woman dressed here self as a monk, after a prayer she also received a beard from God and lived in a monastery. What about the curious story about Agnes, she had to undress herself in front of a big crowd; she prayed to God and here hear grew immediately to her feet to cover her nakedness. Christina the Astonishing lived her belief so extreme (read her story). And what do you think of a flying Saint: Saint-Cupertino.

Eufrosyne

Born Alexandria, Egypt, 413; died 470. Born of well-to do Parents. Eufrosyne was a most beautiful girl. Because she lost her mother when she was eleven, her father thought it a good idea to marry her off to a rich boy. But Eufrosyne did not want to raise a family she just wanted to meditate and pray. She wanted to be less attractive so she did not wash herself anymore. When that didn’t work she entered a convent. But even there she wasn’t safe from the boy.

She dressed herself like a man and entered a monastery. No one had any idea that they were dealing with a woman because for years she locked herself in a cell. She became a good adviser under the pseudo name of Smaragdus. Even her father came to her (him) for advice.

In despair he told her that his daughter had been missing for years, could he (she) pray for her, to get her back to him. Only on her deathbed she told the truth about her true identity. Another story says that she was chased by sensual monks who believed she was a handsome young brother, she was unmasked by a aggressive Father Abbot ( see the picture) She is especially venerated in Greece. Represented with masculine apparel, at her feet a green branch, a garland an a book, as a beautiful young girl. Relics originally at Beauvais, lost in the French Revolution.

Feast day 1 January

Wilgefortis

Nicknamed the Beard Saint.

Legendary saint, head of a widespread legend from the second half of the 14th century. Wilgefortis is in this legend the to Christianity converted daughter of a pagan Portuguese king, who was able to get out of marriage to a heathen king from Sicily because God hearing her prayer had her grow a beard. De king abandon the marriage, but her father was furious and had her crucified. The oldest sources knew the saint as Saint-Ontcommere (helper by sorrow) and under that name she was called upon in Belgium, Holland and Germany. She is depicted as a girl nailed to a cross; girl with a beard and a long dress, sometimes she wears a crown because of her royal descent, or a crown of thorns, girl throwing her golden boot to a musician playing before her, sometimes also with one foot bare; girl carrying a shaped cross. Her beard was left out in many depictions. She is called on by people who suffer from pangs of love and all kinds of sorrows. In the 16^th and 17^th century in the parish church of Alphen (The Netherlands) there was an altar to honour the Holy Ontcommere, many people left offers behind who visited it. With the legend to Wilgefortis, is the story of the poor musician, who received here golden shoe, she threw it to him when he played the violin in front of her statue (see the picture)

Feast day 20 July

Saint-Galla of Rome

Saint, widow, Roman noble woman, praised by Saint-Gregorgy I the Great. Daughter of Quintus Ayrelius Symmachus, married, but within one year became a widow. Galla locked herself into a commune of pious men on the mount of the Vatican in Italy. There she lived and looked after the sick and the poor until she died of cancer.

She lived in a cell and enjoyed a high esteem and admiration because of her charity. To protect her beauty against men’s attention, she disguised herself as a man with and God gave her a beard. An angel brought her a miraculous statue of Mary in her cell. Later there were miraculous powers ascribed to this statue against the plaque. Pope Gregorgy wrote about her and Saint-Fulgentius of Ruspe brought a eulogy in her honour. She is depicted with and without a beard, because they thought it was not delicate

to portray a female Saint with a beard.

Patron of the widows. Died in 550.

Feast day 5 October

Paula of Avila

14^de century. Paula prayed, leading a holy life, to God to be protected against an intrusive lover and was rewarded with a long beard.

Feast day 20 February

Agnes

Saint, born in 293, converted herself to Christianity as a young girl. Kaiser Diocletianus sentenced her to a brothel because of it. When she had to disrobe her hair grew so fast that is covered her like a cloak. Later on she was sentenced to death by fire, but the flames caused no injuries. As a 13 year old she was then beheaded under Diocletianus in 304 n. C.

The parents buried her on the Via Nomentana where upon a catacomb was created. On her anniversary two lambs are blessed from whose wool a cloak is made for the Archbishop. She is the patroness of children and young girls and is depicted with a lamb, not only because of her name (Agnus= Latin for Lamb), but also in connection with the legend, in accordance with that on the 8th. day after her death she appeared before her parents with a snow-white lamb on her right side. There are many churches, convents and boarding schools for girls named after her. She is the guardian of gardeners. In Flanders, (Belgium) men give presents to the girls and women on Saint-Agnes day, and this was usually associated with a big village fair with lots to eat and drink. In the North of England there is a custom whereby an unmarried girl put a little branch of thyme in one shoe and in the other a little branch of rosemary and one little branch of each on both sides of her bed on the eve of January 21 (the feast day of Saint-Agnes). She should then dream of her future husband.

Feast day 21 January

Christine the Astonishing

Latin name meaning “Christian”

(1150 – 1224) Born in Brustheim near Liege, Belgium. After the death of her parents Christine was left behind with two older sisters at the age of 15. Saint, lived as a shepherdess till her 17^th year. When she was around 22, she suffered an epileptic fit and seemingly died. According to the custom she was carried into the church in an open coffin where a requiem mass had started. After the Agnes Dei she sat upright in her coffin and started to float upward towards the beams where she stayed suspended. The churchgoers fled in fear except for her elder sister. When the mass ended the priest asked her to come down. Christine told of how she had died, visited hell, purgatory and heaven. She had to go back to earth to pray for the souls in purgatory. She had met quite a few acquaintances there. Afterwards she led a life of penitence and many miracles, first in the castle of Loon, then at Saint-Truiden. Her life history by Thomas of Cantimpré was edited by a certain brother Geraert under the title “The life of Saint-Christine”(14^th. Century). She climbed trees towers and mountains, she crawled in ovens to escape the smell of sinners. She did everything in extreme to do penance for the welfare of other’s souls. She walked around in rags held together with a twig. She lived in extreme poverty begging for alms. She sat in an oven until the heat overcame her, and stayed in the cold water of the river for a week. And naturally everybody thought that she was quite mad. Her relics are in the church of the Redemptorists in Saint-Truiden.

Christine is depicted as a dishevelled girl sitting on a wheel with snakes underneath her, sometimes with a snake around her wrist. With a snake and a palm. In a brown habit with wings on her back. Patron of the sinners, for a soft dead, against infection illness, cattle illness, desperate situations.

Feast day 24 July

Joseph of Cupertino

(Cupertino 17 June – Osimo 18 September 1663), Italian saint and mystic, in 1625 became a member of the order of conventual’s and although not very intelligent, he was ordained a priest in 1628. At first he was a lay brother, but he was send away because he was very clumsy, he dropped everything out of his hands. In the monastery La Grotella many mystical apparitions were revealed, such as levitation, and that is why he was called “the flying Saint”. He could lift himself of the ground for a long period of time. He was often in ecstasy, and then he started to float and did predictions. Many people were witnesses to this; there was a lot of talk about it. The inquisition, found him not guilty of magic, but sent him off to Assisi, later to remote monasteries, to avoid the surge of people; he accepted everything with a lot of cheerfulness.

He was canonised in 1767.

He is depicted floating in a brown habit with and without wings on his back, also as a priest, in the nearness of Mary, often he holds a host in his hands, with an upright finger.

Patron of the shoemakers, convert sinners, astronauts, air trippers.