Saint Zita
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Saint Zita, born around 1212 in Monsagrati near Lucca, Italy, was a 13th-century servant whose humble piety elevated her to sainthood, known as the patroness of maids. At 12, she entered the Fatinelli household in Lucca as a domestic worker, enduring harsh treatment with patience for 48 years. Renowned for miracles—turning bread to flowers when caught giving alms, or finding water in a dry well—she shared her meager wages with the poor, often fasting to do so. She died on April 27, 1272, at about 60, her body found incorrupt, a marvel that fueled her cult in Lucca’s Basilica of San Frediano.
Canonized in 1696 by Pope Innocent XII, Zita’s feast day, April 27, celebrates her sanctity, with her incorrupt body enshrined in San Frediano, a pilgrimage site drawing devotees seeking lost keys—a folk tradition tied to her service. Patron of domestic servants and Lucca, her life—chronicled in early hagiographies—embodies Christian charity, her miracles blending practicality with wonder. Venerated widely, Zita’s legacy endures as a saint of the lowly, her apron and keys symbols of a servant’s holiness.
Biography
Birth
Saint Zita was born circa 1212 in Monsagrati, a village near Lucca, to Giovanni, a laborer, and Buonissima, a pious mother. Exact dates vary (1211–1218); her birth in a poor Tuscan family shaped her humility. Lucca’s medieval bustle lay nearby.
Her early piety—praying at dawn—foreshadowed a life of service and sanctity amid hardship.
Early Life
Zita’s youth was simple; raised in poverty, she learned faith from her mother and sister, a future nun. At 12, c. 1224, she began work for the Fatinelli family in Lucca, facing grueling tasks and scorn. Her kindness—giving food to beggars—won her a reputation, despite beatings.
Her early life was toil softened by charity, setting her apart. Zita’s childhood built a saint from a servant’s lot.
Occupation
Zita’s occupation was as a domestic servant, laboring for the Fatinellis from 1224 to 1272. She cleaned, cooked, and served, often secretly aiding the poor—once angels baked bread while she prayed, per legend. Her 48-year tenure ended with her death in their home.
Her work was menial yet miraculous, a life of service closed in 1272. Zita’s occupation was a quiet ministry of love.
Vocation
Zita’s vocation emerged in servitude, a call to live holiness through work. From 12, she offered her suffering for others, her miracles—bread to flowers, water from stone—reflecting divine favor. She remained a virgin, her life a prayer until her final illness.
Her vocation peaked in Lucca, dying in 1272 with a saint’s aura. Zita’s life was a servant’s path to heaven.
Death
Saint Zita met her end on April 27, 1272, in Lucca, dying at about 60 of natural causes—old age and illness—in the Fatinelli house. Found incorrupt, her body emitted a sweet scent, drawing crowds. Buried in San Frediano, she rests there, a relic of grace.
Her death sparked devotion, miracles soon reported. Zita’s passing closed a life of humble triumph, her tomb a shrine.
Significant events
- Began service with Fatinelli family, c. 1224.
- Died April 27, 1272, body incorrupt.
Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began post-1272 in Lucca, with local inquiries into her miracles and incorruptibility, formalized later.
Venerable
Declared Venerable by the 17th century (exact date unclear), her virtue recognized after early cult growth.
Beatification
Beatified on September 5, 1652, by Pope Innocent X in Rome, after a 1651 healing of a sick man via prayers to Zita, verified by Church probe.
Canonization
Canonized in 1696 by Pope Innocent XII in Rome, following a 1695 cure of a woman’s paralysis after prayers at her tomb, affirming her sanctity.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
In 1651, a Luccan man, gravely ill, recovered after prayers to Zita at San Frediano, a cure doctors deemed inexplicable. Approved in 1652, it mirrored her charity, hastening her beatification.
Witnessed locally, this miracle fueled her growing fame, a servant’s intercession.
Miracle for canonization
In 1695, a paralyzed woman in Lucca walked after praying at Zita’s tomb, confirmed miraculous by physicians. Ratified in 1696, it sealed her canonization, echoing her life’s wonders.
This healing affirmed her sainthood, completing her veneration path.
Other notable miracles
- Bread turned to flowers, c. 13th century. - Water from a dry well, per legend.
Patronage
Saint Zita is patron of domestic servants, maids, lost keys, and Lucca.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint Zita is celebrated on April 27.
Veneration
Saint Zita is venerated through prayers for service and lost items, centered at San Frediano, Lucca, where her incorrupt body lies. With keys or bread, her cult thrives locally, her April 27 feast marked by flowers—recalling her miracle. Her humility inspires servants worldwide.
Books
Written about the saint
- Early hagiographies (preserved in Luccan archives)
Written by the saint
- No writings survive.