Saint Catherine of Siena?

Question

Why and how was Saint Catherine of Siena's head enshrined?

Answer 1

What's this got to do with royalty?

Catherine of Sienna was a Tertiary (an oblate) of the Dominicans. She died of a stroke in 1380 in Rome and the city of Sienna wished to have her body. The story goes that the Siennese party sent to retrieve her body knew they would be unable to get it past the Roman guards, so they took her head instead, which they put in a sack. After praying to St Catherine to enable them to leave Rome with her head, when they opened the sack to show the guards its contents, it was filled with rose petals and when they reached Sienna, it contained her head once more.

Because of this pious myth, St Catherine is often shown holding a rose.

Answer 2

Catherine died of a stroke in the spring of 1380 in Rome. She died at the age of thirty-three, the same age in which Jesus Christ died. The people of Siena wished to have her body. There is a myth that explains how Catherine's head was able to get to Siena. The people of Siena knew they could not get her whole body past Roman guards and decided to take only her head which they placed in a bag. They were still stopped by guards and they prayed to Catherine to help them because they knew Catherine would rather be in Siena. When they opened the bag to show the guards it no longer held her head, but was full of rose petals. Once they got back to Siena they reopened the bag and her head reappeared. Because of this myth, Catherine is often seen holding a rose.

Catherine's body is currently interred in Rome, in the basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva near the Pantheon. Her head and right thumb are in Siena, and her foot in Venice. St. Catherine is the patron saint of fire prevention and Italy.