St. Zita is regarded as the special patroness of domestic servants. She was born in 1218 Monasgrati, near Lucca. At the age of 12, she entered the service of the Fratinelli family at Lucca and remained with them for the rest of her life. At first misunderstood and maltreated by her employers and her fellow servants, she was highly venerated in later years. She loved to care for the poor and the sick in her district. She died at the age of 60 and was buried in the church of San Frediano, where she had worshipped.
Her casket, opened in 1446, 1581, and 1652, revealed her body to be incorrupt, or rather, naturally mummified. For it is browned and wizened, though perfectly intact. Her body was magnificently enshrined and displayed in a silver casket with glass walls. She was canonized September 5, 1696.
In 1988, her body was examined by Gino Fornaciari of the University of Pisa. His studies concluded that she died of lung problems, probably associated with inhaling coal dust and smoke. Each year on April 27th, the citizens of Lucca bake bread and bring flowers (often daffodils) to San Frediano in celebration of her feast day, and the saint is brought out to be touched by the pious. Her body is on display in a chapel on the inside righthand side of the church.
Our relic is a portion of her flesh, which was identified and sealed by Cardinal Serafino Cretoni, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation of Indulgences and Sacred Relics, on August 9, 1900. The original painting of her was created by Joan Bennett in 2019.
Her casket, opened in 1446, 1581, and 1652, revealed her body to be incorrupt, or rather, naturally mummified. For it is browned and wizened, though perfectly intact. Her body was magnificently enshrined and displayed in a silver casket with glass walls. She was canonized September 5, 1696.
In 1988, her body was examined by Gino Fornaciari of the University of Pisa. His studies concluded that she died of lung problems, probably associated with inhaling coal dust and smoke. Each year on April 27th, the citizens of Lucca bake bread and bring flowers (often daffodils) to San Frediano in celebration of her feast day, and the saint is brought out to be touched by the pious. Her body is on display in a chapel on the inside righthand side of the church.
Our relic is a portion of her flesh, which was identified and sealed by Cardinal Serafino Cretoni, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation of Indulgences and Sacred Relics, on August 9, 1900. The original painting of her was created by Joan Bennett in 2019.
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