CATHERINE, SAINT

born April 23, 1522, Florence died Feb. 2, 1590, Prato, Rep. of Florence; canonized 1746; feast day February 13 also called Saint Catherine Dei Ricci, original name Alessandra Dei Ricci Italian Dominican mystic. At the age of 13 she entered the Dominican convent at Prato, becoming prioress from 1560 to 1590. Famous for her visions of the Passion and her stigmatization, she was the author of letters (ed. by Fr. Sisto of Pisa, 1912) and other minor works.