Picture: Hans Memling · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Saint Veronica
Christian saint
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 4 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1
Died
1
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Veronica is honoured as a devout woman of Jerusalem who, as Christ went to Calvary, offered Him a cloth on which He left the image of His face.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the name may come from 'vera icon', 'true image', given to this image at Rome, and that many later legends grew up around her.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The woman who wiped the face of Christ.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Veronica
- Wikidata Q196653 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Saint Veronica (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.