orig. Caterina Benincasa
born March 25, 1347, Siena, Tuscany
died April 29, 1389, Rome; canonized 1461; feast day April 29
Dominican mystic and patron saint of Italy.
She joined the Dominican third order in Siena in 1363 and soon became known for her holiness and severe asceticism. Catherine called for a Crusade against the Muslims as a means of calming domestic conflict in Italy. She also played a major role in returning the papacy from Avignon to Rome (see Avignon papacy ). Her writings include four treatises on religious mysticism known as The Dialogue of St. Catherine .