152 ST. CATHERINE BeloTed Sienese," " La Beata Popolana," "The Blessed Plebeian or Daughter of the People," " The People's Catherine," " Our Lady of the Contrada d'Oca," etc. ; sometimes called Euphbosyme,^.^. gracions or charming. The greatest woman saint of the Order of St. Dominic. Patron of Siena. Eepresented (1) wearing a crown of thoins, and a rosary, because she was a
- Dominican; (2) with a heart in her
hand ; (3) with St Dominic, at the feet of the "Virgin Mary, as if both were re- ceiving the mission to promote the devo- tion of the rosary. St. Mart Magdalene DE* Pazzi is also represented with a crown of thorns, but she has no rosary. One of the youngest of twenty-five children, and a twin, Catherine was the daughter of James Benincasa, a rich dyer of Siena, and Lapa Piagenti, his wife. They belonged to the middle class, the jpopolanif which then ruled the republic of Siena, and Benincasa at one time held the office of chief magistrate. They lived in the Contrada d'Oca, where their house, called the Fullonica (the dye-works), is still shown. It is separated by a valley from the hill on which stands the Do- minican church frequented all her life by Catherine, and visible from her house. When Catherine was six years old, she and her brother were one day sent to visit a married sister on the other side of the hill. On their way home, they had crossed the hill and the Yalle Piatta, and were just turning into the street now called the Cortone, when Catherine's steps were arrested by a vision of Paradise. Looking up to the sky, she saw, just above the church of St. Dominic, a ma- jestic throne, whence the Lord Jesus, in splendid robes, extended His hand to- wards her in blessing. Beside Him stood SS. Peter, Paul, and John, and around them were angels and glorified souls. Soon her brother missed her from his side, and, looking back, saw her standing still in the middle of the road, gazing up into heaven. He called her, but she took no notice ; he went back, and asked her what she was doing, and as she did not seem to hear, he took her by the hand, to lead her away. She looked down at him for a moment, and when she again turned her eyes heavenward the vision was gone. The child wept disconsolately, and said, '^Ah! if yoa could have seen what I saw, you would never have disturbed me." But the light she had seen through the gates of Para- dise shone evermore in her soul. From that time forth she considered herself consecrated to God, and in every detail of her daily life she had a great fear of offending Him. With this in view, she prayed long and earnestly, set herself to root all self-love out of her own hearty and practised fasting and mortification of various sorts. Her great talent for converting and influenciog others early manifested itself by her collecting chil- dren around her, and persuading them to use the same sort of self-denial, and say certain prayers. When she was twelve years old her parents began to busy themselves about a suitable marriage for her; but as she objected to every plan of the sort, they applied to a relation, who was a Dominican friar, and begged him to advise her to consent to their wishes. Instead of doing so, he recom- mended her to cut off her hair, in token that all schemes for marriage were to be given up. Catherine's hair was very abundant, and of a golden brown hue that has always been much admired in Italy, so that when Lapa found what her daughter had done she was very angry. This, added to her general neglect of dress and appearance, and her prolonged prayers and meditations, so displeased her family that they dismissed their servant, and made Catherine do all the work of the house ; at the same time, they deprived her of the much- valued privilege of having a room to herself. She laboured cheerfully to perform all the services re- quired of her, carrying burdens up and down stairs lightly, and working in the kitchen so well and so quickly that she still had time for her devotions. Her father before long recognized her voca- tion, and when she declared herself vowed to a religious life, he said no one should interfere with her pious observ- ances, and he helped her liberally in her charities. A small room under the house was given up to her, and here, with a plank for a bed and a stone for a pillow,
