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Saint Rose of Viterbo
Image: Teresa de Saldanha · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Saint Rose of Viterbo

A teenager of Viterbo who died at seventeen and is still remembered by her city

Rank
Saint
Kind
Virgin, Young saint, Layperson
Life
1233 – 1251
Era
13th century
Feast
4 September
Countries
Italy
Italy

Life story

Rose was born around 1233 in Viterbo, then a city contested between the papal and imperial parties in the region of Lazio. From childhood she had a reputation for devotion, and her family was of modest means. She is said to have lived as a recluse at home, praying and fasting, and she joined the Franciscan Third Order.

At that time Emperor Frederick II was in open conflict with the pope, and Viterbo was held by imperial forces. Traditional accounts say that Rose, though very young, walked the streets urging the people to stay loyal to the pope. As a result her family was exiled to Soriano nel Cimino. According to tradition she foretold the emperor's death, which came in December 1250. The family was then able to return to Viterbo once the papal party regained control.

Back in Viterbo, she asked to enter the convent of the Poor Clares but was refused because her family could not pay the required dowry. She went on praying at her parents' house and died on 6 March 1251, at about seventeen or eighteen years old. A canonisation process was opened soon afterwards under Pope Innocent IV, but it was only completed in 1457 under Callistus III. Her body is venerated in the shrine of Saint Rose in Viterbo. Every year in early September the people of the city carry a tall tower, named after her, through the streets in procession.

Works and witness

  • Lived a life of prayer at home and joined the Franciscan Third Order
  • Urged the people of Viterbo to stay loyal to the pope against Frederick II
  • Exiled with her family to Soriano nel Cimino
  • Refused entry to a convent for lack of a dowry
  • Her body rests in Viterbo, where a tower procession takes place each September

Patron of

City of Viterbo

Saints from the same country

Saint Agnes, Saint Lawrence, Saint Cecilia, Saint Sebastian

References

  • Martyrologium Romanum
  • Catholic Encyclopedia (1907–1912), entry on Rose of Viterbo
  • Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.