St. Catherine Altoid Tin Shrine - Patron Saint of Artists

St. Catherine of Bologna - Altoid Tin Shrine

Patron Saint of Artists

St. Catherine of Bologna was an Italian nun and artist born as Catherine de' Vigri on September 8, 1413 in Bologna, Italy.

She was the member of an aristocratic family and the daughter of a diplomat to the Marquis of Ferrara. Catherine received a wonderful education in reading, writing, singing and drawing while being raised at the court of the Duke of Ferrara. Catherine excelled in painting, Latin and the viola.

In 1426, at 13-years-old, she entered the convent of Corpus Domini at Ferrara and became a Franciscan Tertiary.  Catherine was openly willing to serve the more humble roles in the convent. She was a laundress, a baker and a caretaker for the animals.  In 1432, Catherine and other young women of Ferrara founded a monastery of the Order of Poor Clares (an order founded by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi) where she was later appointed as Superioress.  In 1456, Catherine returned to Bologna with her superiors and the governors there requested she found a second monastery of the same Order and be the Abbess of the convent.

Catherine continued to paint and to write beautiful spiritual guides and poetry. She wrote the Treatise on the 7 Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare. 

During the Lenten season of 1463, Catherine became seriously ill, and on March 9th she passed away.

She was buried without a coffin and her body was exhumed eighteen days later because of many cures attributed to her at her graveside and the sweet scent coming from her grave. Her body was discovered incorrupt (undecayed) and remains so today.  Catherine is dressed in her religious habit seated upright on a golden throne behind glass in the chapel of the Poor Clares in Bologna.  Her skin has since been blackened due to exposure from oil lamps and soot.

Saint Catherine was beatified in 1524 by Pope Clement VII and canonized on May 22, 1712 by Pope Clement XI. She is the patron saint of artists, the liberal arts, the City of Bologna, and against temptations.

Her feast day is celebrated on March 9.

My Altoid Tin Shrine - St. Catherine of Bologna

 I had a ton of fun making this shrine.  The paintbrushes surrounding the shrine are from OffCenter -- several times while volunteering at OffCenter - organizing supplies -- they allowed me to take home all the paintbrushes that had been ruined with hardened paint.  I sawed off those paintbrushes and used them to surround St. Catherine.

The little painting on the left side of the photo of the Madonna and Child is a painting that is attributed to St. Catherine.

On the right side of the shrine at the base is a small pile of miniature artist's tools which were a delight to make -- the case of Faber-Castell pastels, two tiny paintbrushes, a palette and a tube of blue paint.

Here's a view of the backside of the shrine which is covered with metal belt links and a concho.