Maria Cristina of Savoy (Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppa Gaetana Efisia; 14 November 1812 – 21 January 1836) was

Queen of the Two Sicilies The following is a list of queens consort of the Two Sicilies. Queen consort of the Two Sicilies House of Bonaparte (Edict of Bayonne), 1806–1815 Joachim Murat was the first king to rule a kingdom which was called "Two Sicilies" by the Edi ...

as the first wife of

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand II (; ; ; 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death in 1859. Family Ferdinand was born in Palermo to King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. ...

. She died as a result of childbirth. She is

venerated Veneration (; ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Veneration of saints is practiced, ...

in the Catholic Church, having been

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

Family

Maria Cristina was the youngest daughter of King

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I (; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 June 1802 until his reign ended in 1821 upon abdication due to a liberal revolution. Shortly thereafter, hi ...

and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. Her maternal grandparents were

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este (Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus; 1 June 1754 – 24 December 1806) was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and ...

and

Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este Maria Beatrice d'Este (Maria Beatrice Ricciarda; 7 April 1750 – 14 November 1829) was the last descendant of the House of Este, of the House of Cybo-Malaspina and, through her maternal grandmother , also of the Novellara branch of the House ...

. Ferdinand was the fourteenth child and third son born to

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; ; ; ; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, List of rulers of Austria#Dukes and archdukes of Austria under the House of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, List of ...

, and

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereig ...

. Maria Beatrice was the eldest daughter of

Ercole III d'Este Ercole III d'Este (Ercole Rinaldo; 22 November 1727 – 14 October 1803) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796, and later of Breisgau (not resident). He was a member of the House of Este. Biography He was born in Modena, the son of ...

and

Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina (29 June 1725 29 December 1790) was sovereign Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. From 1780, she also formally held the title of Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio as the wi ...

, Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara.

Queen

On 21 November 1832, Maria Cristina married

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. Maria Cristina was described as beautiful but also timid and shy: modest and reserved, she was deeply religious. 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". Death certificate of Maria Cristina of Savoy

Death certificate of Maria Cristina of Savoy

She died at the age of 23, after having given birth five days before to her only child,

Francis II of the Two Sicilies Francis II ( Neapolitan and , ; christened ''Francesco d'Assisi Maria Leopoldo''; 16 January 1836 – 27 December 1894) was King of the Two Sicilies. He was the last King of the Two Sicilies as successive invasions by Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vict ...

Beatification

On 9 July 1859 she was declared to be a

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

, on 6 May 1939 a

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

Servant of God, 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.Vatican Information Service press release
3 May 2013
/ref> 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

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Cristina of Savoy 1812 births 1836 deaths People from Cagliari House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Royal consorts of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Princesses of Savoy Burials at the Basilica of Santa Chiara Italian beatified people Deaths in childbirth Beatifications by Pope Francis Roman Catholic royal saints Daughters of kings Mothers of Sicilian monarchs Daughters of dukes