Christina of Stommeln (24 July 1242 – 6 November 1312), also known as ''Christina Bruso'' and ''Christina Bruzo'', was a
Roman Catholic mystic,
ecstatic, and
stigmatic.
Christina is believed to have been born on July 24, 1242, to farmers Heinrich and Hilla Bruso in the village of Stumbeln (now
Stommeln
Stommeln is a village (''Stadtteil''), part of the town of Pulheim, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has a population of 8,462 (2021).
Geography
Stommeln is situated to the north-west of Cologne. Its most recognisable feature is the old m ...
), northwest of
Cologne. At the age of five, she began to experience religious visions. When she was twelve her parents wished to arrange her marriage, but she left home without their permission and joined a
Beguine community in Cologne. At the age of fifteen, she manifested stigmata on her hands, feet, and head. This, combined with other mystic experiences, convinced others in the community that she was insane and she was treated with contempt, leading her to return to her home village in 1267.
On her return to Stommeln, she was taken in by the parish priest, Johannes. While in his care, Christina met
Peter of Dacia, a
Dominican, who became a lifelong friend. Following Peter's death in 1288, Christine's mystic experiences ceased. She left the priest's household and moved into a small cloister, where she lived a quiet life until her death at the age of 70 on November 6, 1312. She was first buried in the Stommeln churchyard, but her remains have been moved several times: first into the church, then in 1342 to
Nideggen, and finally in 1569 to the Propsteikirche (Provost's Church) in
Jülich
Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers, Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As a border region betwe ...
, where a monument to Christine still exists. Her relics survived the destruction of the Provost's Church during the Allies' air raid on Jülich on November 16, 1944.
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
beatified her on 8 November 1908 and her liturgical feast was affixed to the date of her death.
See also
*
Saints and levitation
The levitation of saints is the ability attributed to a saint to fly or to levitate. Most of these "flying saints" are mentioned as such in literature and sources associated with them.
Christianity
The ability to levitate was attributed to fig ...
References
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1242 births
1312 deaths
14th-century venerated Christians
14th-century German nuns
14th-century Christian mystics
Roman Catholic mystics
German beatified people
People from Pulheim
Stigmatics
13th-century German women
Venerated Catholics
Beatifications by Pope Pius X
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