Rose of Viterbo
saint of third order of Francis (Franciscan tertiary)
Feast: 6 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Rose, of poor and pious parents at Viterbo, lived as a child recluse in penance. Cured by the Blessed Virgin, she joined the Third Order of St Francis and preached penance in Viterbo, then held by Emperor Frederick II, until she and her parents were banished.
Returning in 1251, she was refused entry to a convent for her poverty, submitted humbly, and lived in a cell in her father's house until her death on 6 March 1252. Her body remains incorrupt.
The miracles
Her cause of canonisation was opened by Pope Innocent IV in the year of her death, but was not definitively taken up until 1457.
Why that counted as sanctity
A young girl who called her city to penance.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Rose of Viterbo
- Wikidata Q268141 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Rose of Viterbo (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.