{"id":"st-catherine-siena","name":"St. Catherine of Siena","title":"Doctor of the Church","knownFor":"Mystic, Political Influencer, Stigmatist","feastDay":"April 29","lifespan":"1347-1380","patronOf":"Italy, Europe, Nurses, Fire Prevention","shortBio":"A Dominican tertiary who experienced profound mystical visions, received invisible stigmata, and convinced Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome.","fullBio":"Born Caterina di Giacomo di Benincasa in Siena as the 23rd of 25 children, Catherine experienced her first vision of Christ at age six. She consecrated her virginity to Christ at seven and joined the Dominican Third Order at sixteen.\n\nAfter three years of seclusion, Christ appeared to her, telling her to enter public life. She began caring for the sick and poor, attracting followers called \"Caterinati.\" Her mystical experiences included a mystical marriage to Christ and receiving invisible stigmata in 1375.\n\nCatherine played a crucial role in Church history by convincing Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome in 1377, ending the \"Babylonian Captivity.\" She worked tirelessly for Church reform and unity during the Western Schism.\n\nHer spiritual writings, especially \"The Dialogue,\" reveal profound theological insights. She died at 33, exhausted from her penances and efforts for the Church. She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.","miracles":["Received invisible stigmata visible only to herself","Experienced mystical marriage to Christ","Multiplied food during famine","Healed countless sick through prayer","Levitated during prayer","Converted hardened criminals through conversation"],"imageUrl":"https://page.gensparksite.com/v1/base64_upload/c54cbc5e131aa154768fb86686cfc647","imageAttribution":"Saint Catherine of Siena Receiving the Stigmata by Giovanni di Paolo (c. 1447–1461). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. Tempera and gold on panel","orderByDate":1380}