Christina the Astonishing (1150 – 24 July 1224)
Also known as Christina Mirabilis, Christina was a Christian holy-woman born in Brustem (near Sint-Truiden, Belgium) who was regarded as a saint during her lifetime.
-and indeed she was astonishing..!
I am meeting some of my Irish friends tomorrow and what better way to get back into the lingo than to reread Angela’s Ashes?
As any regular reader of my Blog might guess I love any sort of a book, and the sort of a book that makes you break off from a unbidden weep to snort with laughter has got to be worth re-reading several times!
However on my first reading in 1996 I wasn’t quite as into Saints as I now need to be, – faced as I am everyday with fresco cycles full of them that I need to know about.
This time round the tale of St Christina the Astonishing leapt out of the page at me – she was a lady who Frank McCourt describes thus:
“All these virgin martyrs are told by Roman judges they have to give up their faith and accept the Roman gods but they say Nay , and the judges have them tortured and killed. My favourite is St Christina the Astonishing who takes ages to die. The judge says , Cut off her breast, and when they do she throws it at him and he goes deaf, dumb and blind. Another judge is brought on the case and he says , Cut off the other breast , and the same thing happens. They try to kill her with arrows but they just bounce off her and kill the soldiers who shot them. They try to boil her in oil but she rocks in the vat and takes a nap for herself. Then the judges get fed up and have her head cut off and that does the job. ”
It strikes me that in common with many of the the Saints , Christina is part of a heritage including such miracle workers as Catherine of Alexandria, St Margaret and St Lucy (above) – all of whom are a bit like James Bond – astonishingly able to get themselves out of the complex messes their enemies set up for them! Although I do often wonder why the torturers don’t go for simplicity every time and save themselves a whole load of bother?
In Saint Christina’s case however a large amount of her sufferings were self -inflicted – having “died” young – stories range between only 15 and 21 , and been spectacularly brought back from death and levitated to the ceiling of the church only just short of her funeral pyre – she felt that she should show her gratitude for her resurrection through extreme penance. Her penance included throwing herself into burning furnaces , plunging into the frozen Meuse River in the middle of winter – sometimes being carried downriver to a watermill where the wheel “whirled her round in a manner frightful to behold”, being chased by dogs which bit and tore her flesh, and running to escape from them into skin tearing thickets of thorns.
From all these self torments she would emerge bloody but unhurt – no broken bones, scars or blemishes to show for her troubles! Levitation seems to have saved her from problems more than once so she is usually portrayed in the air or emerging praying and unscathed from the top of the thorn bush!
Her ending was peaceful – it seems nobody chopped off her head in retribution for her continued faith – in fact Christina died at the Dominican Monastery of Saint Catherine in Saint-Truiden, of natural causes, aged 74
Not having died for her beliefs or carrying out any miracles of benefits to anyone other than herself Christina has never been formally approved by the Catholic Church, but there still remains a strong devotion to her especially in her native region of Limburg.
Her Saints day is 24th July and she is the patron saint for those asking for protection :-
- against insanity
- against madness
- against mental disorders
- against mental handicaps
- against mental illness
- lunatics
- mental health caregivers
- mental health professionals
- mentally ill people
- psychiatrists
- therapists
