The rose , a flower of Love also has been associated with religion and saints and their noble work. In Christianity the rose has been a privileged symbol for Mary,Queen of heaven and earth. One of her titles in Catholic is Rosa Mystica or Mystic Rose.
During the Middle Ages rose became an attribute of many other holy women like Elizabeth of Hungary, Elizabeth of Portugal and Rita of Cascia. They are revered as Saints in Christianity. The rose is even a symbol for Christ himself.
The most common association of the rose is with the Virgin Mary. The Blessed Virgin is often referred to as the ‘rose without thorns’, since she was immaculately conceived. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux compared her virginity to a white rose and her charity to a red rose. With the rise of Marian devotion the image of the rose became even more prominent later in religious life. Cathedrals built around this time usually include a rose window dedicated to the Virgin. The thirteenth century Saint Dominic is credited with the institution of the Rosary, a series of prayers to the Virgin, symbolised by garlands of roses worn in Heaven.
In Western Europe the popular version of a miracle of the roses concerns Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. One day the young and pious Elizabeth in the company of serving women, descends from her castle down to the village. She is carrying meat, eggs, and bread under her mantle. It is believed that she has taken items from the family dining table to distribute to the poor in the village, against the wishes of her family, who frown upon such behavior. Halfway down, she unexpectedly meets her husband who asks, upon seeing her bulk, what she is carrying. Embarrassed and speechless she does not know what to say. Her husband opens her mantle and to his surprise finds her carrying a bouquet of roses. The story of Elizabeth of Portugal is also similar.
A miracle involving roses occurred to Saint Rita of Cascia. The winter before the end of her life, a cousin visited her and asked her if she desired anything from her old home. Saint Rita responded by asking for a rose and a fig from the garden. It was January and her cousin did not expect to find anything due to the snowy weather. However, when her relative went to the house, a single blooming rose was found in the garden, as well as a fully ripened and edible fig. Her cousin brought the rose and fig back to Saint Rita at the convent, who thanked her and gave the rose to her sisters. The rose is thought to represent God’s love for Rita. Rita is often depicted holding roses or with roses nearby. On the occasion of the centenary of the canonization of Saint Rita of Cascia, Pope John Paul II had stated that the worldwide devotion to Saint Rita is symbolised by the rose.
During the Middle Ages the rose was cultivated in monastery gardens and used for medicinal purposes. It became a symbol in religious writing and iconography in different images. The mystic rose appears in Dante’s Divine Comedy where it represents God’s love.
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