Christina the Astonishing

Christina the Astonishing , also known as Christina Mirabilis, was a Christian holy woman born in Brustem (near Sint-Truiden), Belgium. Christina is primarily known for her legendary resurrection during her funeral mass, and numerous other miracles attributed to her during her life. Thomas of Cantimpré wrote a hagiography of her based on accounts from people who knew her, which made her known outside of Sint-Truiden.

Life Christina was born to a religious family, the youngest of three daughters. After being orphaned at the age of fifteen, she worked taking the herds to pasture. She suffered a massive seizure when she was in her early twenties. Her condition was so severe that witnesses assumed she had died. A funeral was held, but during the service, "she arose full of vigor, stupefying with amazement the whole city of Sint-Truiden, which had witnessed this wonder. She levitated up to the rafters, later explaining that she could not bear the smell of the sinful people there." thumb Saint Christina the Astonishing (Mirabilis) front of prayer card from 1892 confirming by the Bishop Victor-Josephus that her relics were at the time cared for by the Redemptorists and that her Feast day was 24 July. leftShe related that she had witnessed Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. She said that as soon as her soul was separated from her body, angels conducted it to a very gloomy place, entirely filled with souls enduring such torments that it was impossible to describe them. She claimed that she had been offered a choice of either remaining in heaven or returning to earth to perform penance in order to deliver souls from the flames of Purgatory.

Legacy and veneration Christina the Astonishing has been venerated as a saint since the 12th century, and her cult was subsequently recognized locally and she was included in the calendars of at least two Catholic bishops in the 17th and 19th centuries. The Fasti Mariani of 1630, for example, records her among the saints. She was never formally beatified or canonized by the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, she is included in the current edition of the Roman Martyrology under 24 July, where she is described as "Blessed Christina, known as the Astonishing". She continues to be venerated as a saint in local tradition, especially in her native region of Limburg. Prayers are traditionally said to Christina to seek her intercession for millers, for those suffering from mental illness, and for mental health workers.

Cultural references Christina's story inspired the Nick Cave song "Christina the Astonishing", from the album Henry's Dream. Poets Jane Draycott and Lesley Saunders re-told her story in their collection Christina the Astonishing. Christina is the subject of a school pageant in an episode of the Showtime television series, Nurse Jackie; the episode is titled "The Astonishing". Kirstin Valdez Quade wrote a short story called "Christina the Astonishing (1150-1224)", published by The New Yorker on their website on July 24, 2017, the 793rd anniversary of Christina's death. Christina appears in B.R. Yeager's 2020 novel Negative Space about necromancy and teen suicide, published by Apocalypse Party.