Saint Catherine – an outstanding member of the Dominican Family – has left us many valuable doctrines and mystical experiences in her intimate and profound union with Christ, our only Spouse. sir. Not only that, the saint’s body is also a precious inheritance that people to this day still cherish, preserve, and visit. Although they may have been changed and deformed over time, those relics still have a very special value. Moreover, this is also a demonstration of God’s love for Catherine – His beloved child, Jesus’ beloved wife – and for all those who dare to dedicate themselves to God and the Church. and for souls.
Head of Saint Ethernet
One of the most important and historical relics is the Head of Catherine. Indeed, after Catherine died on Sunday, April 29, 1380 in Rome at the age of 33, her body was buried in the cemetery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. This place is located near the Pantheon temple, also in the center of Rome. Upon hearing of the many miracles that had occurred at her tomb, Father Raymondo Capua – the saint’s spiritual director and the Superior General of the Order of Preachers elected after her death – transferred her body to inside the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and placed at the foot of the main altar for veneration until today.
Legend has it that the people of Siena wished to possess the body of St. Catherine. Knowing they couldn’t take His body out of Rome, they just took His head and put it in a bag. Unfortunately, they were stopped by Roman guards. They immediately pleaded with St. Catherine to help them overcome the incident. And strangely, when he opened that bag for the guards to control, His head suddenly disappeared and instead there were only rose petals. But when they arrived at Siena and opened the bag, they found the saint’s head inside. Because of this story, St. Catherine is often depicted holding a rose.
In fact, Father Raymondo Capua carried out a program to relocate the saint’s head to Siena. In order to separate the saint’s head from her body, I asked Pope Urban VI for permission. This pope accepted the request with kindness, because he held Father Raymondo in high esteem. Not only did the Pope express his quick agreement with a command, he also invited him to spread Catherine’s glory as much as possible and to initiate the procedure for her canonization. Once receiving permission from the Pope, Father Raymondo separated the head from the body of the saint and gave it to Father Tommaso della Fonte and Father Ambrogio Sansedoni to take to Siena (1383).
Arriving in Siena, the two Dominican fathers immediately gave this precious relic to the fathers of St. Dominic’s monastery in Camporegio, with instructions not to display it to the public before he was canonized. Catherine’s head was hidden in a cabinet in the sacristy of St. Dominic’s Cathedral (Basilica di San Domenico). Then together with his brothers in Siena, with the priests, monks and noblemen of the city, Father Raymondo decided to present to the Supreme Authority of the Republic of Siena all the truth, and he Please take responsibility for what you have done. I asked permission of the senate of Siena to honor the saint with a solemn procession of her Head, and they declared their readiness to comply with my requests. Not only is Catarina celebrated in the days following the procession, but there are also celebrations leading up to it. The procession became even more solemn because many famous Dominican fathers also flocked to Siena to speak with Father Raymondo, who was present there. That day was May 5, 1384. For 15 consecutive days, Father continuously preached about Catherine’s life and deeds.
St. Dominic’s Monastery in Singapore
For a long time, Catarina’s Head was kept in a brass cabinet. After Catherine was canonized in 1461, with donations from the Siena people, the Dominican fathers made a silver cabinet weighing over 50 kg to place the Head. The fathers also gave a key to the Siena government.
This relic was also caught by a fire in the basilica of St. Dominic on the night of December 3 and 4, 1531. But Father Anselmo from Florence wrapped himself in a wet blanket and jumped into the fire to save him. holy relics. In 1576, during his visit to the Holy See, Bishop Bossio di Grosseto noted the polishing of the silver cabinet. On the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena in 1621, Father Angelo Ciriaco preached about the damage the fire had caused to the relics. Therefore, the generals in the city of Siena decided to make a new cabinet out of silver.
In 1711, Catarina’s head was placed in a new gold urn made by the Florentine jeweler Giuseppe Piamontini, and this was a gift from Pietro Biringucci, head of the senate of Tuscana King Cosimo III. This vase was restored and is today placed in the third chapel to the right of the main altar of the basilica of St. Dominic.
Nearly a century later, in 1798, the head was moved to Siena Cathedral, because St. Dominic’s Cathedral was hit by a strong earthquake. Wait until 8 years later to return to the Cathedral.
In 1857, during the visit of Pope Pius IX, Catherine’s head was solemnly received.
In 1931, Mayor Fabio Bargagli Petrucci broke the seals and opened the casket to let professors Raimondi, Lunghetti, Longini and Gori evaluate the authenticity of the Head. On this occasion, Catarina’s head was placed in a silver casket and decorated with enamel. That large casket was also made by jeweler David Manetti with designs by famous silversmith Angelo Giorgi. Then this relic was transferred to the Cathedral. On this occasion, Professor Mazzi, with the support of sculptor Trapassi, collected many important data of the skull and images of the head to be able to create versions.
On April 28, 1940, the head was carried from the Basilica of St. Dominic to the Cathedral during the feasts of Catherine that took place that year. Likewise, in 1995, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Catherine’s being honored as a Doctor of the Church, Siena’s long-standing traditional festival was celebrated in an Octave, and people again displayed the relic of the Head in the Church. The Cathedral is for worship by the faithful. On the occasion of the great jubilee year 2000, the head of the saint was brought back to the Cathedral under the initiative of Archbishop Gaetano Bonicelli and parish priest Alfredo Scaciglia OP. Currently, this important relic is still venerated in the Basilica of St. Dominic.
Catarina’s house
That is a brief history of the Head of Saint Catherine of Siena. Besides this important relic, people also know of a silk bag that contained the saint’s head during the journey from Rome to Siena. Currently it is kept in a small room in His house. Also in this house, people still keep the handle of the stick on which that bag leaned during the difficult journey; a lamp that the Saint used to hold to light her way at night, from her home to the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, to perform the work of a volunteer nurse.
Catarina’s finger
Another important relic, the Saint’s Thumb, is also kept in the basilica of St. Dominic and placed near the head. With this relic, it is believed that a blessing will be given to Italy and the Armed Forces on the afternoon of the Sunday of the International Feasts in honor of St. Catherine. This relic, along with Catherine’s mortification rope and the bronze bust supporting her head, was also kept in a casket and placed in the wall to the right of St. Dominic’s Cathedral. Currently, it is placed in a better place, including the finger and other relics.
A fragment of Catherine’s shoulder blade is preserved and can be seen in a vase placed on the wall to the left of the main altar of the Chapel of the Crucifixion in Siena. In the casket, there is a small head of the saint made of candle wax. This relic was donated to the Cathedral by female professor Lidia Gori, also a member of the Caterinati group.
Catarina’s left foot
Outside Siena, today we can pay homage to the Saint kept in the church of Saints John and Paul in Venice.
A heel is kept in the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna.
A rib of the Saint was previously placed in the Cathedral of Siena, then was donated to the Church of St. Catherine in Astenet, Belgium in 1985, according to the wishes of people in the Caterinati group of this country.
Catherine’s left hand is placed at the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary, Monte Mario, Rome (Monastero di Santa Maria del Rosario di Monte Mario). The hand was separated from the saint’s body while opening the coffin in 1487 (more than 100 years after her death). The Superior General of the Dominican Order Gioankim Torriani did that work as a gift for the Dominican nuns of San Sisto, today called Our Lady of the Rosary, residing in Monte Mario, Rome. . This separation was recorded in the monastery diary. You should also know that this monastery currently stores relics of other saints, especially Dominican saints, to donate to churches, monasteries, or individual monks in need. The Dominican Three Gorges Congregation was also awarded two relics of St. Catherine and kept in the sacristy.
Perhaps there are many other parts of the Saint’s body that have been preserved and venerated in other sacred places that we do not yet know about. That shows us that the saintly life of the Saint has had a profound appeal and influence on people for many generations. God can do miracles for servants who are loyal and love Him, souls who dare to live and die for the Truth like Saint Catherine – our beloved Sister and Mother.
References:
Beato Raymondo da Capua, Legenda maior. S. Caterina da Siena, Edizioni Cantagalli, Siena 1998, no. 305, p. 313-314.
Franca Piccini, “Sacra testa di Caterina: non ci sono misteri. Vicende storiche chiare”, in La Patrona d’Italia e d’Europa.S. Caterina da Siena, LXII, (January 2007), p. 26-29.
http://www.basilicacateriniana.com/storia.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena
