Saint
Saint Christina the Astonishing (Christina Mirabilis)
- Country / origin
- Belgium
- Life
- c. 1150–1224
- Feast
- 24 July (traditional date)
Awaiting theological review
Who was this?
A young woman from Brustem, near Sint-Truiden, whose life was written by the Dominican Thomas of Cantimpré a few years after her death. He tells that she seemed to die at about twenty-two, rose during her funeral Mass and spent the rest of her life in extreme penance for the souls in purgatory. Her behaviour was so strange that many thought her mad.
Patron of
- people with mental illness
- mental-health workers
- the souls in purgatory
When to ask for intercession
- mental illness
- praying for the souls in purgatory
- when others think you are mad
A short prayer
Saint Christina, intercede for those who suffer in mind and are misunderstood, and pray with us for the souls in purgatory.
Written for cento53 as a simple personal prayer of intercession — not a liturgical text.
What we know — and how
Historians debate
She was never formally canonised: she is venerated locally, and 24 July is her traditional date. Her Life is full of extraordinary stories which historians read with great caution.
The next question