Marie de la Paix Giuliani

Saint Marie de la Paix Giuliani (1875–1900, born Marianna Giuliani) was an Italian religious sister who died for her faith in China during the Boxer Rebellion and was canonised in 2000. She is one of the group known as the Martyr Saints of China who were canonised by Pope John Paul II 1 October 2000.

Life

She was born Marianna Giuliani 12 December 1875 in L'Aquila, Italy, and joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. It was the Mother Superior who is reported to have protested that the sisters should not be denied the sacrifice of dying for their faith on 27 June 1900. She argued that they should be allowed to stay when the level of threat to the community rose and the Bishops advised that the sisters should change into local clothes and escape.

On 5 July 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Christians at the mission were ordered to renounce their faith or face death; at 4pm on 9 July the priests, religious sisters, seminarians and Christian lay workers were all killed, in what is known as the Taiyuan massacre.

Marie de la Paix and her six fellow sisters were referred to as the "Martyrs of Shanxi" and it was said that they had been beheaded. They became saints after they were beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1946 and then later canonised by Pope John Paul II on 1 October 2000 among a group of 120 Martyr Saints of China.