Saint Senhorinha of Basto, also Senorina (; 942 – 982) was a Portuguese

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

in what is today northern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. She is a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, and was related to Saint Rudesind of Mondoñedo.

Life

Senhorinha of Basto is thought to have been born into the noble Sousa family as either Domitilla or Genoveva. After being raised by her aunt, Blessed Godinha, abbess of the

convent of St. John of Vieira, Senhorinha also joined the Benedictines and succeeded her aunt as abbess at Vieira. Later, she moved the convent of Vieira to Basto near

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

, Portugal.

Legacy

Senhorinha of Basto was canonized by Paio Mendes, Archbishop of Braga, in 1130, at a time when bishops had the authority to canonize faithful people in their dioceses. Her

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is April 22, which is recorded in Portuguese liturgical calendars beginning in the 13th century. Her shrine in Basto was a popular pilgrimage destination in the region in the 12th and 13th centuries. King Sancho I of Portugal was one famous devotee who made the pilgrimage to cure his son and heir, Afonso II, who was healed and succeeded Sancho I as king of Portugal. The church in Basto has been named in her honor since at least 1220, and water from a nearby fountain named after her is believed to have healing properties. Her tomb is housed in the church. In art, she is typically depicted with a water jug or vessel at her side and sometimes a frog, in reference to one of the miracles she is said to have performed during her life.

Life

Legacy

References

See also