Santa Rosalia (Saint Rosalia)

Rosalia was born of a Norman noble family that claimed descent from Charlemagne. Devoutly religious, she retired to live as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino, where she died alone in 1166. Tradition says that she was led to the cave by two angels. On the cave wall, she wrote "I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of [Monte] delle Rose, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ."

In 1624, a plague beset Palermo. During this hardship Rosalia reportedly appeared first to a sick woman, then to a hunter, to whom she indicated where her remains were to be found. She ordered him to bring her bones to Palermo and have them carried in procession through the city.
The hunter climbed the mountain and found her bones in the cave as described. He did what she had asked in the apparition. After her remains were carried around the city three times, the plague ceased. After this Rosalia was venerated as the patroness saint of Palermo, and a sanctuary was built in the cave where her remains were discovered.
Her post-1624 iconography is dominated by the work of the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, who was trapped in the city during the 1624–1625 quarantine, during which time he produced five paintings of Rosalia, now in Madrid, Houston, London, New York and Palermo itself. In 1629 he also produced Saint Rosalia Interceding for the City of Palermo and Coronation of Saint Rosalia to assist Jesuit efforts to spread devotion to her beyond Sicily.

Norman Sicily and Religious Diversity
Saint Rosalia lived in the twelfth century, during the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. This kingdom came to be after the Normans conquered the region in the eleventh century. Sicily became a strong and well-organized kingdom under King Roger II and his successors. One unique thing about Sicily was its diversity. According to The Society of Norman Italy, Sicily was made up of a mixed religious population that included Christians, Greek Christians, Muslims, and Jews. This diversity shaped the people on the island and made Sicily different from the majority of the other European city-states at the time.

Rosalia and Norman Sicilian Society
Rosalia’s story is a strong example of how older traditions from the medieval period continued to shape people’s beliefs in later centuries. The discovery of her remains connects back to the Norman period. Looking at what Saint Rosalia meant to her people, she represents several important values of Norman Sicilian society. Her life of devotion and isolation reflects the importance of religion, and her connection to Palermo shows how local identity mattered. In a diverse society with many different cultures, saints helped create a sense of unity. Saint Rosalia gave the Sicilian people a sense of protection and hope.

Palermo and Medieval Religious Culture
Palermo’s location is also very important for understanding Rosalia as a saint. Palermo was and still is the capital of the kingdom and one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean due to its central location. Because of this, Sicily had connections to most of Europe, North Africa, and the Byzantine Empire. This meant that different cultures, languages, and religions were constantly interacting. This connected and diverse environment made it…

In Palermo, the Feast of Saint Rosalia is held each year on 14 July, and continues into the next day. It is a major social and religious event in the city.

The feast of St. Rosalia is on 4 September.
The devotion to Santa Rosalia is widespread among the large and mainly Hindu Tamil community of Sri Lankan origin settled in Palermo.
On 4 September, a tradition of walking barefoot from Palermo up to the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia high up on Mount Pellegrino is observed in honor of Rosalia. In Italian-American communities in the United States, the July feast is generally dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel while the September feast, beginning in August, brings large numbers of visitors annually to the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn in New York City.

Santa Rosalia is venerated as the patroness of the Italian sardine fishing fleet in Monterey, California.
Also, although St. Rosalia lived in a period after the Great Schism, some Orthodox faithful today recognise and venerate her as a saint.