The Catholic Defender: Saint Casilda Miracle of the Roses

While Casilda supposedly predated both Elizabeths, her hagiography was not written until three centuries after her death, and is likely influenced by the story of one of them.

Some saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others, but even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something.

And so it is with Saint Casilda. Her father was a Muslim leader in Toledo, Spain, in the 10th century. Casilda was a devout Muslim but was kind to Christian prisoners. She became ill as a young woman but did not trust that any of the local Arab doctors could cure her. So she made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. Like so many other people who made their way there—many of them suffering from hemorrhages—Casilda sought the healing waters of the shrine. We’re uncertain what brought her to the shrine, but we do know that she left it relieved of illness.

Born in Toledo, Died 1050 Briviesca.

she became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring. It’s said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death likely occurred around the year 1050.

Casilda was a Muslim princess, the daughter of the ruler of Toledo. She showed great kindness to Christian captives.

She showed great compassion for Christian prisoners by frequently smuggling bread into the prison, hidden in a basket concealed in her clothes, to feed them.[3] Once, she was stopped by her father and his Muslim soldiers, and asked to reveal what she was carrying in her skirt. When she began to show them, the bread turned into a bouquet of roses

Tensions between Muslims and Christians have often existed throughout history, sometimes resulting in bloody conflict. Through her quiet, simple life Casilda served her Creator—first in one faith, then in another.

Within Catholicism, a miracle of the roses is a miracle in which roses manifest an activity of God or of a saint

The present painting represents the unusual subject of The Miracle of St Casilda. During the 10th century Casilda was the daughter of King al-Mamún of Toledo. Although raised as a Muslim, she showed special kindness to Christian prisoners and on one occasion was challenged by her father for taking bread to his captives, an accusation she denied, claiming she was only carrying roses. The present scene depicts the Princess revealing to her father the contents of her cape, the bread having miraculously turned into roses.

She was raised a Muslim, but when she became ill as a young woman, she refused help from the local Arab doctors and traveled to northern Iberia to partake of the healing waters of the shrine of San Vicente, near Buezo, close to Briviesca. When she was cured, she was baptized at Burgos (where she was later venerated) and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring. It is said that she lived to be 100 years old.

In response, she became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring. It’s said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death likely occurred around the year 1050.

St. Casilda later converted to Christianity when she was miraculously cured at the shrine of

St. Vincent of an illness that almost killed her.

Saint Casilda's feast day is April 9. She is the patron saint of infertile women and Muslim converts to Christianity.

Angelical hands move all that was built by the day to the top of a mountain in the night. So they decided to build a chapel in this place. When they started to build it, a lioness runned away without attacking anyone. She lived there until she passed away when she was 60 years old. She was buried in this place, where she is still venerated by a lot of people.

The healing waters of the wells of San Vicente made Saint Casilda to come to la Bureba.