In the annals of Christian mysticism, few stories resonate quite like that of Christina the Astonishing, a figure who emerged from the humble town of Brustem, near Sint-Truiden, Belgium, around 1150. Her feast day was just a few weeks back. Known also as Christina Mirabilis, her life is marked by episodes that stretch the contours of belief—most notably, her purported resurrection during her own funeral Mass, an event that left the city of Sint-Truiden agape.
Her story was meticulously documented by Thomas of Cantimpré, who collected firsthand accounts, ensuring her miracles and mystical experiences were known beyond her local context. Christina’s sainthood was acknowledged during her lifetime and persisted through the centuries, appearing in various ecclesiastical works such as the Fasti Mariani Calendar of Saints of 1630 and Alban Butler’s 18th-century compilation, “Lives of the Saints: Concise Edition.” Despite lacking formal canonization, her memory is honored every July 24th in the Roman Martyrology.
Christina’s early years were steeped in piety but marked by tragedy; orphaned at fifteen, she tended herds in the pastoral fields. A severe seizure presumed to end her life led to her miraculous “resurrection” during her own funeral—a spectacle that saw her levitate to the rafters to escape the sin she perceived below. She claimed to have visited Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, experiences that propelled her to choose a return to earthly existence over the serenity of Heaven, aiming to aid tormented souls and convert sinners.
Her subsequent life was a testament to extreme asceticism. Christina eschewed all comforts, adopting a lifestyle of destitution, often seen clad in rags and devoid of any home.
Her behavior led to periods of imprisonment over suspicions of demonic possession, though she later moderated her penitential practices.
Christina’s encounters with the metaphysical were so profound that they prompted debates among theologians and scholars, with figures like Cardinal Jacques de Vitry documenting her ability to endure elemental tortures—like immersing herself in freezing rivers or surviving unscathed from fires—without physical harm.
Despite the skepticism her story might invoke today, seen by some as a mere relic of medieval superstition, others view her life through a lens that suggests a profound psychological or spiritual phenomenon. Christina died naturally at the age of 74 in the Dominican Convent of Saint Catherine, leaving a legacy that has seen her venerated in various capacities throughout the centuries, especially in her native Limburg.
There, she is especially revered by millers, mental health workers, and those afflicted by mental illnesses, all of whom look to her extraordinary life for solace and inspiration.