Saint Catherine of Siena

Medieval Saint of Italy and Doctor of the Church

Catherine of Siena had visions from the time she was a child. She joined a Dominican order when she was a teenager, and devoted herself to working with the poor and the sick. She developed a following and dictated her ideas on spirituality and devotion in what became known as her Letters. She became a central figure in church politics, and persuaded Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon.