Rose of Viterbo, T.O.S.F. ( it, Rosa da Viterbo; c. 1233 – 6 March 1251), was a young woman born in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...

, then a contested

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

. She spent her brief life as a

recluse A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. The word is from the Latin ''recludere'', which means "shut up" or "sequester". Historically, the word referred to a Christian hermit's total isolation from th ...

, who was outspoken in her support of the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. Otherwise leading an unremarkable life, she later became known for her

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

gifts of prophecy and having miraculous powers. She is honoured as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Life

The chronology of her life remains uncertain, as the acts of her canonization, the chief historical sources, record no dates. Most scholars agree she was probably born around the year 1233. Born of poor and pious parents, even as a child Rose had a great desire to pray and to aid the poor. She prayed much for the conversion of sinners. Rose was not yet 10 years old when the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

is said to have instructed her to take the habit of the

Third Order of St. Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many ma ...

and to preach

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

in Viterbo, at that time under the rule of

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (German language, German: ''Friedrich''; Italian language, Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Em ...

Rose was soon admitted to the Franciscan Third Order and adopted its

religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, ...

, a simple

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...

with a cord around her waist. While walking the streets with a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

in her hand, she would exhort others to be faithful to the Catholic Church. She lived a life of prayer, penance and solitude in her father's home. Every now and then she would emerge from her solitude to entreat the people to do penance. Her mission seems to have lasted for about two years. In January 1250, Viterbo, her native city, was then in revolt against the pope. When she was 12, she began preaching in the streets against Frederick's occupation of Viterbo. She and her family were exiled from the city and took refuge in

Soriano nel Cimino Soriano nel Cimino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, central Italy. The town is overlooked by Monte Cimino, the highest peak in the Monti Cimini. Main sights *The Orsini Castle, built by Orso Orsini in the 13th centur ...

. When the pope's side won in Viterbo, Rose was allowed to return. On December 5, 1250, Rose allegedly foretold the speedy death of the emperor, a prophecy fulfilled on December 13. Soon afterwards she went to

Vitorchiano Vitorchiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Latium, located about northwest of Rome and about northeast of Viterbo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,690 and an area of .All demograph ...

, whose inhabitants, according to surviving reports, were affected by a supposed sorceress. Rose secured the conversion of all, even of the sorceress, reportedly by standing unscathed for three hours in the flames of a burning

pyre A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...

. Rose wished to enter the

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of St. Mary in the city, but was refused because of her poverty, as she was not able to provide the

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

required for admission. She accepted her rejection, nonetheless foretelling her admission to the monastery after her death. Rose died on March 6, 1251, in her father's home. It was long believed that Rose had died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. In 2010, however, researchers examining her remains concluded that she had died of complications due to

Pentalogy of Cantrell Pentalogy of Cantrell (or thoraco-abdominal syndrome) is a rare congenital syndrome that causes defects involving the diaphragm, abdominal wall, pericardium, heart and lower sternum. Presentation There are five characteristic findings in pental ...

Veneration

The process of Rose's

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

was opened in the year of her death by

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

, but was not definitively undertaken until 1457. Originally buried at the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Santa Maria in Poggio, in 1257

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death in 1261. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne (now in the Province of Rome), he ...

ordered it moved to the monastery she had desired to enter, at which time it was renamed in her honor. When the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church was reformed after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, her

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

was transferred to the date of her death. September 4 is the date of the translation of her relics to the Monastery of St. Damian. It is this latter date on which her feast is celebrated in Viterbo and by the Franciscans. On September 3, the eve of the feast of St. Rose, the people of Viterbo follow the transportation of ''La Macchina'' ("the Machine of St. Rose") a massive tower, illuminated with 3,000 tiny electric lights and 880 candles, and topped off with a statue of her, which is carried for 1,200 metres through the darkened streets of the old medieval town on the backs of around 100 volunteers called "facchini". The tradition goes all the way back to September 4, 1258, when the body of the saint was exhumed and transported to the Monastery of Saint Damian; but it was not until 1664, following seven years of plague in the city, that a "machine" first appeared. In gratitude for having survived such a terrible pestilence the citizens voted to renew the veneration of their saint every year. St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, named for her, in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, is the

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

of the

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women whose motherhouse, St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual ...

.Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
The convent is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Viterbo University Viterbo University is a private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 academic programs at the associate, bac ...

is a Catholic, Franciscan university in the liberal arts tradition, founded by these Franciscan Sisters, also located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Rose of Viterbo is one of the religious figures featured in the award-winning series of saint plays by

Erik Ehn Erik Ehn is an American playwright and director known for proposing the Regional Alternative Theatre movement. The former dean of theater at CalArts, the California Institute of Arts, he is the former head of playwriting and professor of theatre ...

. The play celebrating her life premiered in October 2008 at

Goshen College Goshen College is a Private college, private Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, ...

Notes

Sources

ANDREUCCI, Andrea Girolano. Notizie Critico-Istoriche Dell'Ammirabile S. Rosa Virgine Viterbese. Stamperie di Antorio di Rosse. Roma, 1750. (e-book)
* BEAUFAYS, P. Ignace (O.F.M). Sante Rose de Viterbe: Propagandiste de L’A.C.. Bruxelles, Ed, du Chant D’Oiseau, 1937. * CENCI, Paolo. Rosa: Eroica, Giovanetta, Santa. Agnesotti, Viterbo, 1981.
DE KERVAL, Leon. Saint Rose: sa vie et son temps. Impr. Franciscaine Missionnaire (Vanves), Paris, 1896
* PELLEGRINI, P. Stefano. Santa Rosa e Suo Monastero. Grafiche Messaggero di S. Antonio. Padova, 1967. * Pizzi, Storia della Città di Viterbo. (Roma, 1887). * PIACENTINI, Ernesto (O.F.M). Il libro dei Miracoli di Santa Rosa da Viterbo. Union Printing S.p.A., Roma, 1991. * PLENS, Frei Urbano. Santa Rosa de Viterbo. Cadernos Franciscanos: ano VI, n. 1, fascículo 29. Belo Horizonte, 1980.

External links

ROSA da Viterbo, santa
{{Authority control 1230s births 1251 deaths 13th-century Christian saints Christian female saints of the Middle Ages Deaths from genetic disorders Franciscan saints Incorrupt saints Italian children Italian Roman Catholic saints Marian visionaries Members of the Third Order of Saint Francis People from Viterbo Roman Catholic child saints 13th-century Italian women Miracle workers

Life

Veneration

See also

Notes

Sources

External links