Blessed Mary de la Cabeza
Blessed Mary de la Cabeza (born about the 12th century AD in the region of Madrid, Spain; died about 1175 AD near Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish laywoman, wife of the farm laborer Saint Isidore the Farmer (San Isidro Labrador), patron of Madrid. Honored for her piety, charity, and simplicity of life, she is venerated as a Blessed—and is popularly invoked as "Santa María de la Cabeza." Her feast day is September 9.
Little is recorded with certainty of her life beyond her marriage to Saint Isidore and her reputation for holiness among the poor working people of the countryside near Madrid. Her cultus was confirmed by the Church in the seventeenth century. As with many medieval figures, this account keeps to what tradition affirms and avoids details that cannot be confirmed.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Mary de la Cabeza
| Blessed Mary de la Cabeza | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 09 |
| Profession | Laywoman; wife of Saint Isidore the Farmer |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Patronage | Invoked against drought; married women; the countryside near Madrid |
| Attributes | Peasant dress; a jar of water |
| Birthplace | near Madrid, Spain |
| Death Place | near Madrid, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; wife of Saint Isidore the Farmer |
| Primary Shrine | Madrid, Spain |
Biography
Mary de la Cabeza lived in the region of Madrid in the twelfth century. She is remembered above all as the wife of Saint Isidore the Farmer, a humble agricultural laborer of great piety who became the patron saint of Madrid. Like her husband, she is said to have led a life of prayer, hard work, and charity toward the poor, sharing what little the couple had.
Tradition holds that after the death of their only child, Mary and Isidore lived in continence, devoting themselves ever more to God. She is often depicted as a simple countrywoman, and popular devotion has long associated her with intercession in time of drought, when her relics were carried in procession to pray for rain. She is commonly given the title of the shrine associated with her, Our Lady "de la Cabeza," and is popularly called "Santa María de la Cabeza."
She died about the year 1175. Her holiness was venerated among the people from early times, and her cultus was formally confirmed by Pope Innocent XII in 1697, together with the honors long paid to her husband. Her feast is kept on September 9. Because the reliable historical record of her life is limited, further particulars are not asserted here with certainty.
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Legend
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Feast day
September 9
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