Maria Cristina of Savoy (Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppa Gaetana Efisia; 14 November 1812 – 21 January 1836) was Queen of the Two Sicilies as the first wife of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. She died as a result of childbirth. She is venerated in the Catholic Church, having been beatified by Pope Francis.
| Maria Cristina of Savoy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Queen consort of the Two Sicilies | |||||
| Tenure | 21 November 1832 – 31 January 1836 | ||||
| Born | 14 November 1812 Cagliari, Kingdom of Sardinia | ||||
| Died | 31 January 1836 (aged 23) Naples, Two Sicilies | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Francis II of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| |||||
| House | Savoy | ||||
| Father | Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia | ||||
| Mother | Maria Teresa of Austria-Este | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
 Coat of arms of Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy | |||||
Family
editMaria Cristina was the youngest daughter of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este.[1]
Her maternal grandparents were Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este. Ferdinand was the fourteenth child and third son born to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria Theresa of Austria. Maria Beatrice was the eldest daughter of Ercole III d'Este and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara.
Queen
editOn 21 November 1832, Maria Cristina married Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Acquasanta. The bride was twenty years old and the groom twenty-two. The next day, she donated her gold-threaded wedding dress to the Redemptorists to adorn a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary.[2]
Maria Cristina was described as beautiful but also timid and shy: modest and reserved, she was deeply religious.[3] Her relationship to Ferdinand was not happy, and he had little patience for her nervous modesty. While she was Queen of the Two Sicilies, she prevented the use of death sentences, and was known as "the Holy Queen".[4]
She died at the age of 23, after having given birth five days before to her only child, Francis II of the Two Sicilies.[5]
Beatification
editMaria Cristina of Savoy | |
|---|---|
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 25 January 2014, Naples, Italy by Pope Francis |
| Major shrine | Basilica of Santa Chiara, Naples, Italy |
| Feast | 31 January |
On 9 July 1859 she was declared to be a Servant of God,[6] on 6 May 1939 a Venerable Servant of God,[6] and on 3 May 2013 Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle due to her intercession, a further stage on her process to beatification.[7] Her beatification took place on 25 January 2014 at the Basilica of Santa Chiara (Naples), where she is buried, making her Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy.
Ancestry
editReferences
edit- ^ "Beatification of Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy", Real Casa delle Due Sicilie, January 1, 2014
- ^ Pupo cssr, Antonio. "A treasure to be preserved", Scala News, February 18, 2022
- ^ Women and Faith: Catholic Religious Life in Italy from Late Antiquity to the Present, (Lucetta Scaraffia, Gabriella Zarri, eds.) Harvard University Press, 1999, p. 226 ISBN 9780674954786
- ^ "Liturgical Memory of Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy in Sicily", The Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy, August 2, 2022
- ^ This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Villari, Luigi (1911). "Francis II. of the Two Sicilies". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 936.
- ^ a b Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 154.
- ^ Vatican Information Service press release, 3 May 2013
