St Zita

Miracle of St Zita - Bernardo Strozzi

Domestic servant. Patron of maidservants. Born at Monsagrati, in 1218, Zita worked for the Farinelli household all her life, from the age of 12.

She was very conscientious, which initially did not make her popular with the other staff. She was also very generous with food for the poor, which annoyed her employers. However she eventually won everyone over by her patience and good nature and became a confidential friend of the family.

Many miracles were attributed to her. Once angels are said to have baked her cakes while she was rapt in prayer.

Soon after her death at Lucca in 1272, a popular cult grew up around her tomb. In 1748 her name was added to the Roman Martyrology. By that time there were chapels in her honour as far afield as Palermo and Ely. In England she was known as Sitha, and invoked by housewives and domestic servants, especially when they lost keys, or were in danger from rivers or crossing bridges.

Her emblem is a bunch of keys. St Zita is depicted in murals in (Shorthampton, Oxon), in stained glass (Mells and Langport, Somerset) and on rood screens in Norfolk (Barton Turf) Suffolk, (Somerleyton) and Devon (Ashton). No churches were dedicated to her, but St Benet Shorehog in London had a chapel of St Zita, known as St Sythes.

Binham Priory in Norfolk (which was linked to St Albans Abbey) has a painting of St Zita on its rood screen.

A rare image of St Zita was recently discovered at St Alban's Cathedral.

It is one of four 13th century wall paintings - the others depict St Alban and St Amphibalus, St Thomas a Becket and St Christopher - which have been brought back to life through coloured illumination.

They were whitewashed over after the dissolution of the abbey's monastery by Henry VIII in 1539, during the Reformation.

For more information see: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49823486

(Many thanks for David Skidmore for telling us about this.)