Daily Saint

St. Margaret of Cortona founded a hospital in Cortona, Italy, called the Santa Maria della Misericordia (Saint Mary of Mercy) Hospital, which cared for the sick, poor, and homeless. The Bishop of Arezzo granted her permission to establish the hospital in 1286. Beyond just the sick, the hospital also housed pilgrims and protected abandoned children. The hospital grew significantly and continued its work long after her death, becoming a lasting charitable institution. She formed the Poverelle (Poor little one), a community of Franciscan tertiary sisters who served as the hospital staff, providing nursing care for the sick.

St. Margaret of Cortona’s body is considered incorrupt. After she died in 1297, her body did not decompose. She is enshrined in a silver casket within the Basilica di Santa Margherita in Cortona, Italy, where she is displayed for veneration. According to many sources, she appears remarkably preserved, and her body emits a pleasant fragrance. She was canonized in 1728, and her incorrupt body has drawn pilgrims and veneration for centuries, with various reports of miracles.

St. Margaret of Cortona faced immense challenges in her conversion. She battled powerful temptations from her past sinful life and endured harsh public criticism and slander. Her own father refused to take her back, and she struggled with intense internal guilt and psychological turmoil. She wore rough clothes and slept on the ground as a form of penance. She endured criticism and slander with patience, persisting in prayer and accepting God’s will, eventually winning over even her detractors. She found peace with the help of spiritual directors and by founding a hospital and caring for the sick and poor, which redirected her energy and transformed her reputation.