Startling Saints—Saint Clare of Montefalco

The miracle-working saint with a very special heart (quite literally)

(St Clare of Montefalco, circa 1670, from the Iglesia del Convento de Nuestra Señora del Pópulo de Agustinos Descalzos. Sevilla, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Clare Damiani was born in the Umbrian town of Montefalco in 1268. She was introduced to a cloistered life at an early age. When Clare was six, she was sent to live with her sister, Jane, who was the mother superior at the Saint Illuminata convent. Before she reached adulthood, Clare decided to remain in the convent lifestyle. When she had grown into a young woman, Clare and all of the nuns under superior Jane’s care, were transferred to a newly built convent—Santa Croce, also known as the Holy Cross Convent.

Saint Clare was the type of person that develops a natural aura of importance around them. She quickly garnered a reputation as an honorable, pious and virtuous woman. As such, when Jane died in 1298, the nuns of Santa Croce quickly elected the thirty-year-old Clare as their new mother superior.

Startling Saints—Jolly Saint Nicholas

The Saintly Bishop of Myra Who Evolved Into A Magical Christmas Entity

(Left: Santa Poster by the U.S. Food Administration. Educational Division. Advertising Section. (01_15_1918 - 01_1919), [Public Domain-US] via Creative Commons. Right: Image of St. Nicholas from the Lipnya Church of St. Nicholas in Novgorod, c. 1294, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Most cultures that have been influenced by Christianity have some sort of magical or supernatural persona who gives out gifts to children on Christmas Day. Many of these figures trace back to Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century CE bishop of Myra. His legend fused with other traditions, cultures and myths and eventually came to the United States by way of Dutch immigrants as Sinterklass. From there, he was commercialized into Santa Claus, and spread back across the Atlantic to his original homeland in Europe.

Now, the new Santa Claus figure has assimilated into many countries. He is known as Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) in Germany, Pére Noël in France, Father Christmas in Britain and Father Frost in Russia. The Scandinavian mythological (and often demonic) pagan beings of Krampus, and the Yule goat Joulupukki, have also been influenced and transformed by Santa Claus. Let’s not worry the kids, however, with all this talk about Santa Claus being fabricated—Jolly Saint Nicholas was, for the most part, a very real, historical figure. This is his story:

Startling Saints: The Saxon Saint Caedwalla

Exile, Kingship, War and Conquest—The life of a 7^th Century Warrior Saint

In the region of Wessex, during the middle of the 7^th century CE, there lived a king of Saxon descent who conquered much of southeastern England. Several kings were put to death by his executioners, and various communities were ravaged or massacred on the whim of this conquering king. This was King Caedwalla of Wessex—but there is a catch. He would later be recognized by the Christian church as a saint, and was even laid to rest in St. Peter’s Basilica.

(16th century mural of Caedwalla and Wilfrid painted by Lambert Barnard, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Startling Saints – Saint Elesbaan of Ethiopia

The conquering Ethiopian Emperor-King of Axum

A common mental-image of a Christian saint depicts a kind-hearted and charitable person who does good deeds all day long until he retires back to his cloister for the night. While people like this often make up the long list of saints, there are quite a few anomalous people that break the saintly mold. This is one startling saint that stands out among the saintly and may not be commonly known—Saint Elesbaan of Ethiopia.

(St Elesbaan painting, [Public Domain] circa 1750 oil on canvas, 110 by 75 cm (original in Museu de Arte Sacra, Arouca, Portugal))

Startling Saints: Swordsman-Saint Bernard of Corleone

This Capuchin monk was once the greatest duelist in Sicily

(Saint Bernard Corleone, photograph by Fortunat Bergant [Public domain], via Creative Commons)

Startling Saints: Saint Sigismund of Burgundy

Strangulation, War and Deadly Curses

(Sigismund painting, photographed by Georges Jansoone (JoJan), Public Domain via Creative Commons)