Sarah, a friend from Toronto, was my exceptionally knowledgeable tour guide in Siena (as she spends many of her summers there, doing research for her doctoral thesis). We spent most of our time taking in the sights and sounds of the Palio party, but there were other interesting things to check out as well.
The Basilica di San Domenico is kind of a shrine to St. Catherine. From all accounts (ok, a quick readthrough on Wikipedia), it sounds like she was an incredible lady.
So was her mom, who gave birth to an unbelievable 25 children (only half of whom survived). So glad our medical care - and contraception! - has improved since 1350.
Anyway, as the "Saint" might suggest, Catherine spent most of her life helping the poor and needy. (She was a bit of a pain at home, as she was always giving away the family's food and clothes.) She also had a considerable influence on the popes of her day, while her letters to various religious figures and nobility are regarded as classic early Tuscan writing.
The interesting thing is that, as was done in those times, parts of her body were preserved after she died. Which means that you can go to the Basilico di San Domenico today and see one of her fingers and her head. Just in case there are any doubts, one of the only English signs in the entire church states that yes, this is her actual head. !!
So was her mom, who gave birth to an unbelievable 25 children (only half of whom survived). So glad our medical care - and contraception! - has improved since 1350.
Anyway, as the "Saint" might suggest, Catherine spent most of her life helping the poor and needy. (She was a bit of a pain at home, as she was always giving away the family's food and clothes.) She also had a considerable influence on the popes of her day, while her letters to various religious figures and nobility are regarded as classic early Tuscan writing.
The interesting thing is that, as was done in those times, parts of her body were preserved after she died. Which means that you can go to the Basilico di San Domenico today and see one of her fingers and her head. Just in case there are any doubts, one of the only English signs in the entire church states that yes, this is her actual head. !!
As well, one of the stained-glass windows depicts her after beatification, holding her own head on a tray. This made me feel:
∆ strange
∆ a little queasy
∆ that graves are good
∆ all of the above.
∆ all of the above.
On to a less grisly subject...
One of the plaques told us that Catherine had met her spouse at that church. Which I thought was very romantic -- did they catch sight of each other during mass? Was it love at first sight? Did their parents approve?
One of the plaques told us that Catherine had met her spouse at that church. Which I thought was very romantic -- did they catch sight of each other during mass? Was it love at first sight? Did their parents approve?
Then Sarah pointed out that Catherine had been a nun, so the “spouse” referred to was actually Christ.
Right.
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| "Women of Siena" cookies. If you ever go to Siena, you MUST search for and buy these. Not too hard, not too soft, with candied fruit and nuts inside -- incredible! |
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| And if you go, try and go when Sarah's there. I think she knows 90% of the information that exists about Siena. |
A great book about Catherine of Siena is "Holy Anorexia" - it's about asceticism and female control of her own body, etc. It's a good read! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Maggie, that sounds like a great book!
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