Humilitas of Faenza (1226–1310)
Humilitas of Faenza (1226–1310)
Saint and abbess of Italy. Name variations: Humility; Rosana; Umilita; Umilta. Born in 1226 in Italy; died in 1310 in Faenza; married Hugolotto.
Born in 1226, Humilitas was a Italian religious founder and saint. Even as a child, she felt drawn to a religious life, although she married young. Both Humilitas and her husband felt called to dedicate their lives to serving God, and they separated after only a few years to pursue their vocations. Humilitas lived as a recluse for several years but eventually emerged as the head of a Benedictine convent at Faenza. Among her other deeds, Humilitas founded the Order of Vallumbrosian Sisters, a religious establishment over which she presided. After her death, the popular abbess' life was preserved in a painting which depicts scenes from her days at the Vallumbrosian convent. Humilitas is portrayed in each scene holding or reading from a book, a symbol of her great classical and contemporary learning and the teaching functions she took on as abbess. Humilitas was declared a saint some years after her death. Her feast day is May 22.
Laura York , Riverside, California