Mar 24, 2025

Saint Veronica Giuliani: A Testament of Incorruptibility

 

Saint Veronica's incorrupt remains in Città di Castello.

1. Death in 1727

A. Circumstances of Her Death

  • Final Illness and Decline

    • Health Struggles: Saint Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchin Poor Clare nun, endured a lifetime of physical and spiritual trials. Born in 1660 as Ursula Giuliani, she embraced severe penances after joining the monastery in Città di Castello at age 17. Her health declined markedly in her later years due to the stigmata—visible wounds of Christ’s Passion she received in 1697—coupled with fasting, sleepless nights of writing her 22,000-page diary, and a 33-day agony preceding her death. A stroke, likely triggered by a brain hemorrhage, struck her in her final weeks, compounding her suffering.

    • Resilience: Despite her frailty, Veronica’s resolve never faltered. As abbess from 1716 until her death, she led her sisters with practical care—piping water into the monastery—while bearing the stigmata’s pain and mystical torments. Her writings reveal a soul united with Christ’s suffering, finding joy in sacrifice until her last breath.

  • Last Moments

    • Peaceful Passing: On July 9, 1727, Veronica died at age 67 in her cell at the Capuchin Poor Clare Monastery in Città di Castello, surrounded by her sisters. After a prolonged agony, her final words sang of divine love: “I have found Love, Love has let Himself be seen!” She passed quietly, her death a culmination of a life crucified with Christ.

    • Spiritual Readiness: Veronica had long prepared for death, her diary reflecting a heart eager to unite with her crucified Lord. Her stigmata, mystical visions, and the cross etched on her heart (discovered post-mortem) testified to her readiness, her agony a final offering for sinners’ salvation.

B. Immediate Reactions and Impact on Her Community

  • Community Mourning

    • Loss Felt Deeply: The Poor Clares of Città di Castello mourned Veronica as a mother and mystic whose life had sanctified their cloister. Her sisters, who called her “la Bambina” (the baby) in her youth, now revered her as a stigmatic saint whose presence had drawn God’s grace to their convent.

    • Legacy of Humility: Veronica’s humility masked her extraordinary gifts—levitations, visions, and stigmata—known fully only to her confessors during her life. Her death unveiled her sanctity, her practical leadership as abbess blending with her mystical depth, leaving her community in awe.

  • Public Reaction

    • Gradual Recognition: At her death, Veronica’s fame was confined to Umbria and Franciscan circles, her stigmata scrutinized by skeptics like her bishop. Yet her passing sparked immediate veneration, with reports of a sweet fragrance from her body signaling her holiness.

    • Growing Devotion: Five months later, Bishop Alessandro Francesco Codebò launched her canonization process, a rare speed reflecting her impact. As miracles and her diary’s revelations spread, devotion grew, culminating in her beatification in 1804 and canonization in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.

2. Discovery of Incorruptibility

A. Exhumation and Initial Observations

  • Reason for Exhumation

    • Canonization Process: Veronica’s body was first exhumed years after her death as part of early inquiries into her sanctity, though exact dates vary (some suggest the 18th century). A significant examination occurred after a flood damaged her tomb, prompting her relics’ relocation in the 19th century, aligning with her 1839 canonization preparations.

    • Church Protocol: Each exhumation followed Church tradition, overseen by clergy and medical witnesses to verify her remains’ state, a practice to confirm divine favor for canonization candidates.

  • Initial Findings

    • Remarkable Preservation: Early accounts report Veronica’s body as incorrupt for years post-1727, her flesh soft and undecayed despite burial in a simple wooden coffin in the monastery’s damp crypt. A flood eventually destroyed much of her body, but her heart and bones endured, with her heart bearing Passion symbols—a cross, thorns, and chalice—miraculously imprinted, as she had foretold.

    • Astonishment of Observers: Witnesses marveled at her initial incorrupt state and the heart’s markings, documented after her death. The fragrance from her tomb and her shoulder’s curvature—suggesting she bore Christ’s cross—deepened the sense of a supernatural sign.

B. Condition of the Incorrupt Body

  • Physical Condition

    • Details of Preservation: Initially, Veronica’s body resisted decay, her skin pliable and features intact, a state lasting years until the flood’s devastation. Her heart, examined post-mortem, remained incorrupt, its Passion symbols a vivid testament. Her surviving bones, though darkened and fragmented, retain coherence, reflecting her life’s austerity.

    • Historical Examination: After the flood (date unspecified, possibly 18th or 19th century), her relics were recovered, with her heart’s preservation confirmed during canonization inquiries. Her shoulder’s deformity and heart’s markings were medically noted, defying natural explanation.

  • Public Display

    • Exhibition for Veneration: Veronica’s heart and bones are now enshrined in the monastery, her heart in a separate reliquary, drawing pilgrims to witness her mystical union with Christ. Her remains, though no longer fully intact, remain a sacred focal point.

    • Pilgrim Attraction: Her relics inspire awe, a tangible link to her stigmata and Passion devotion, drawing the faithful to Città di Castello to pray before the stigmatic saint.

C. Preservation and Public Display

  • Methods of Preservation

    • Protective Measures: Her heart and bones are housed in reliquaries within the monastery’s church, shielded from further decay. The crypt’s conditions and careful stewardship by the Poor Clares preserve her natural state.

    • Continuous Care: The Capuchin Poor Clares maintain her shrine, a duty of reverence for their sister whose life and relics testify to God’s presence among them.

  • Religious Significance

    • Symbol of Holiness: Veronica’s incorrupt heart, marked by Christ’s Passion, is a divine seal on her stigmata and suffering, a sign of her sanctity and unity with the Crucified.

    • Encouragement of Faith: Her relics bolster faith, reflecting the resurrection (CCC 999) and the communion of saints (CCC 946-962), urging believers to embrace the cross as she did.

3. Enshrinement in the Monastery of Città di Castello

A. Location and Significance of the Monastery in Città di Castello, Italy

  • Historical Importance

    • Site of Ministry: The Monastery of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Città di Castello, Umbria, was Veronica’s home from 1677 until 1727. Here, she lived her 50-year vocation, received the stigmata, and led as novice mistress and abbess, her cell a site of mystical graces.

    • Spiritual Hub: The monastery, rooted in Clare of Assisi’s austere Rule, became a beacon of holiness through Veronica’s life, its church now a shrine preserving her legacy within the Franciscan tradition.

  • Pilgrimage Destination

    • Global Attraction: Pilgrims visit yearly, especially on her feast day, July 9, to venerate her relics, seek her intercession, and honor her as a mystic and stigmatic.

    • Devotional Activities: The monastery hosts Masses, prayers, and reflections, with Veronica’s diary and Passion devotion inspiring communal worship.

B. Description of the Enshrinement

  • Glass Reliquary

    • Visual Presentation: Veronica’s heart rests in a reliquary within the monastery church, visible through glass, its Passion symbols a striking witness. Her bones are also enshrined, reflecting her earthly humility and heavenly glory.

    • Sacred Adornments: Candles, flowers, and Passion icons surround the reliquaries, creating a sacred ambiance that honors her crucified love.

  • Artistic Depictions

    • Illustrations of Her Life: The monastery features images of Veronica crowned with thorns and embracing the cross, alongside scenes of her stigmata and leadership, educating pilgrims about her journey.

    • Inspirational Displays: Her diary excerpts and miracle testimonies adorn the shrine, deepening visitors’ connection to her mystical legacy.

C. Pilgrimage and Veneration

  • Devotional Practices

    • Prayer and Reflection: Pilgrims pray before her relics, light candles, and meditate on her Passion-centered life, seeking her aid in uniting their sufferings with Christ’s.

    • Liturgical Services: The Poor Clares offer Masses and feasts, especially on July 9, fostering a communal bond with Veronica’s spirit.

  • Miracles and Testimonies

    • Reported Miracles: Healings and graces are attributed to Veronica, from her lifetime stigmata phenomena to post-mortem intercessions, affirming her power as a saint.

    • Continuing Devotion: Her relics and writings—rediscovered in 1994 by Brother Emmanuel in Syria—sustain devotion, her life a call to holiness through suffering and love.
    .

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