Profile
Rosalia was born to the Sicilian nobility, the daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina. She was a descendant of Charlemagne and raised around the royal Sicilian court. From her youth, Rosalia knew she was called to dedicate her life to God. When she grew up, she moved to a cave near her parent’s home, and lived in it the rest of her life; tradition says that she was led to the cave by two angels. On the cave wall, she wrote “I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.” Rosalia remained apart from the world, dedicated to prayer and works of penance for the sake of Jesus, and died alone.
In 1625, during a period of plague, she appeared in a vision to a hunter near her cave. Her relics were discovered, brought to Palermo, and paraded through the street. Three days later the plague ended, intercession to Rosalia was credited with saving the city, and she was proclaimed its patroness. The traditional celebration of Rosalia lasted for days, involved fireworks and parades, and her feast day was made a holy day of obligation by Pope Pius XI in 1927.
Born
- c.1130 at Palermo, Sicily
Died
- c.1160 Mount Pellegrino, Italy, apparently of natural causes
- buried in her cave by workers collapsing it
Patronage
- locations in Italy
– Baucina
– Benetutti
– Bivona
– Caltagirone, diocese of
– Campofelice di Roccella
– Delia
– Isola delle Femine
– Lentiscosa
– Palermo, archdiocese of
– Palermo, city of
– Pegli
– Racalmuto
– San Mango Cilento
– Santo Stefano Quisquina
– Sicily
– Vicari
Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-rosalia/
