St Rita of Cascia, the Saint of the Impossible, is among the most popular Catholic saints. The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia in Cascia, where her incorrupt body lies, is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Italy. Find out who St. Rita of Cascia was and how to visit the Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia in Italy.
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Who was St. Rita of Cascia
St Rita of Cascia was a daughter, wife of a harsh man, mother of two sons, widow, and a Roman Catholic Augustinian nun. Today Saint Rita of Casicia is one of the most popular Catholic saints.
St Rita story
Santa Rita of Casica was born Margherita Ferri Lotti in Roccaporena, a small village near Cascia in Umbria, in central Italy, in 1381.
Young Margherita wished to become a nun from her earliest age. However, the 12-year-old Margherita was forced into an arranged marriage with a nobleman who turned out to be cruel and abused her during their 18-year marriage. After her bad-tempered husband got murdered in a local brawl and their two sons passed away, she succeeded in entering a convent of the Order of St. Augustine after several rejections.
During all of her life, Santa Rita of Cascia was known for her virtuous life and sanctity. She was an obedient daughter who respected her parents’ wish to get married, a devoted wife who bravely endured abuse of her husband and prayed for him, a merciful widow who publicly claimed forgiveness for her husband’s murders, a peacemaking mother who prayed for sons who sought vendetta (revenge) for their father’s death, and a grieving mother but a persistent person who was rejected several times in her pursuit to join a convent.
St Rita of Cascia was a model daughter, model wife, model mother, and model nun.
As an Augustinian nun, she was known for her extraordinary obedience, humility, and devotion to the Passion of Christ. She wished for and prayed to God for sharing the Suffer of Christ. God answered her prayers, and she got a thorn wound of Christ’s throne crown on the center of her forehead in 1442. She became a partial stigmata. Her forehead wound stayed open for the next 15 years, until her death in 1457. St. Rita of Cascia died of tuberculosis after living solely on the Eucharist and water while bedridden for the two last years of her life. She died on May 22, 1457. St Rita of Cascia was canonized in 1900.
The feast day of St Rita of Cascia is May 22. She is Saint Patroness for impossible and lost causes. Her nickname is the Saint of the Impossible. She is also called St Rita of Casica, Peacemaker.
St Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of difficult marriages, domestic abuse, infertility, parenthood, loneliness, and impossible causes.
For centuries, people have been testifying of many miracles due to her intercession, especially for impossible causes. The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia in Cascia has received millions of visitors.
Today pilgrims keep coming to the Basilica of St Rita of Cascia in Cascia, Italy more than ever.
St Rita symbols
St. Rita of Cascia is portrayed with a wound on her forehead, holding a rose, and sometimes surrounded by bees.
Where is the Basilica of St. Rita da Cascia in Italy
The Basilica of St Rita of Cascia stands in a small town called Cascia in the hills of Umbria in Italy.
The somewhat remote Cascia is one of the most famous pilgrimage towns in Umbria and Italy because of St Rita of Cascia. The Sanctuary of Santa Rita in Cascia is among the most popular pilgrimage sites in Italy.
Cascia lies in the heart of the Nera Valley in southwest Umbria. Cascia is 47 mi (77 km) southwest of Perugia (the capital of Umbria) and 83 mi (135 km) northwest of Rome (the capital of Italy).
The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia holds the incorrupt body of St. Rita in a glass coffin on public display. St. Rita’s incorrupt body lies in a glass coffin in the Shrine of Santa Rita in Cascia, Italy.
How to get to Cascia
1. From Perugia to Cascia
Perugia (PEG) is the nearest airport to Cascia. The easiest way to reach Cascia from Perugia is by car.
You can fly to Perugia airport, rent a car at the airport, and head to Cascia. It takes 1 hour and 30 minutes by car from Perugia to Cascia.
Getting to Cascia from Perugia by public transport is a little bit complicated. Trains run from Perugia Railway Station to Spoleto. From there, buses run to Cascia. The entire journey from Perugia via Spoleto to Cascia takes about 12 hours.
2. From Rome to Cascia
You might be surprised, but getting to Cascia from Rome is easy. Many guided day tours run from Rome to Casica as well. Visiting Cascia from Rome is among the most popular day trips from Rome.
The fastest way to get to Cascia from Rome is by car. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes from Rome to Cascia by car.
I visited Cascia on my road trip to Umbria. I flew to Rome Fiumicino Airport, rented a car, and embarked on my Umbria road trip. Green and hilly Umbria with stunning medieval towns and idyllic villages is among the most beautiful regions in Italy. I highly recommend visiting Umbria by car!
You can also reach Cascia from Rome by public transport. Buses run from Rome to Cascia. A bus ride from Rome to Cascia lasts 3 hours on average.
Trains run from Roma Tiburtina Railway Station to Foligno, and from Foligno to Cascia buses run. The journey from Rome to Cascia by public transport lasts between 10 and 12 hours.
If you are short on your time in Italy, or prefer guided tours, check out:
– Saint Rita of Cascia and Her birthplace Roccaporena Private Tour from Rome (Viator) – visit Cascia and Roccaporena on a day trip from Rome.
– Assisi and Cascia Full-Day Tour From Rome (GetYourGuide) – visit Assisi and Cascia on a day tour from Rome
– Cascia Spoleto Guided Day Trip From Rome (GetYourGuide) – visit Cascia and Spoleto on a day tour from Rome
Visiting the Basilica of Santa Rita of Cascia in Cascia Italy
The Basilica of St. Rita of Casicia in Cascia holds the incorrupt body of St. Rita. The body is in a glass coffin, publicly displayed, in the Basilica.
The white travertine-covered Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia includes a church with the Sanctuary of Santa Rita and a convent. Frescoes and sculptures depicting episodes of the life of Santa Rita of Cascia decorate the Basilica.
The entrance portal has ten bas-reliefs showing episodes from St Rita’s life: St Rita with bees, St Rita teaching her sons to pray, the death of her husband, St Rita’s entry to a convent, St Rita’s test of obedience, Rita as a nun giving bread to the poor, Rita receiving stigmata, her pilgrimage to Rome, the miracle of roses and figs, and the transition.
The incorrupt body of St. Rita of Cascia is in a glass coffin in the Chapel of Santa Rita of the Basilica.
The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia houses a Eucharistic Miracle, too. The Miracle of Bleeding Eucharist happened in the 14th century when a priest needed to visit a dying farmer. On that occasion, he put a concentrated Eucharist between the pages of his breviary. When he came to the farmer, he opened the breviary and found the blood-stained pages with the bleeding Eucharist. Numerous tests confirmed that it was genuine human blood. The Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia is kept in the Lower Chapel of the Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, in Cascia.
Basilica of St Rita of Cascia opening hours
Every day from 6.30 am to 8.00 pm
Visit Roccaporena, the birthplace of Santa Rita in Umbria
Roccaporena is the birthplace of St. Rita of Cascia. Roccaporena is only 6 km away from Cascia.
Today, pilgrims can visit the Birth House of St. Rita (Casa Natal di Santa Rita), the Marital House of S. Rita (Casa Marital di Santa Rita), the Garden of the Miracle (Orto del Miracolo), and the Sanctuary of Santa Rita (Santuario di S. Rita).
Roccaporena is a small and idyllic village. It takes not more than 2 hours to visit all sites related to St Rita of Cascia in Roccaporena.
To get to Roccaporena you need a car or take Saint Rita of Cascia and Her birthplace Roccaporena Private Tour from Rome (Viator).
Saint Rita of Cascia prayer
Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient, and of such compassionate love for the Crucified Jesus that thou couldst obtain from Him whatsoever thou askest, on account of which all confidently have recourse to thee, expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort;
be propitious to our petition, showing thy power with God on behalf of thy suppliant;
be lavish to us, as thou hast been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of thine own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in thee.
We promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify thee by making known thy favor, to bless and sing thy praises forever.
Relying then upon thy merits and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray thee grant that (here mention your request).
Q&A
How did Santa Rita die?
Sanat Rita of Cascia died of tuberculosis after living solely on the Eucharist and water and bedridden for the two last years of her life. She died on May 22, 1457.
What is Saint Rita known for?
Saint Rita is known as Saint Patroness for impossible and lost causes. She is nicknamed the Saint of the Impossible.
St Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of difficult marriages, domestic abuse, infertility, parenthood, loneliness, and impossible causes.
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