Bl. Mafalda of Portugal Biography
Bl. Mafalda of Portugal Profile. Born: 1184 in Portugal, Europe. Worked in Portugal. Died: 2 May 1257 in Portugal. Feast Day is celebrated on May 1.
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The Memorial ofBl. Mafalda of Portugal- Saint of the Day |
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Bl. Mafalda of Portugal Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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Date of Birth |
1184 |
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Country of Birth |
Portugal in Europe |
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Matrimony/Holy Orders |
Blesseds who were Nuns/Sisters |
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Profession |
princesses, Nun |
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Place of Work |
Portugal |
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Date of Death |
2 May 1257 |
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Place of Death |
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Feast Day |
May 1 |
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Beatification |
Beatified by Pope Pius VI (cultus confirmation) 14 March 1792 |
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Canonization |
Canonized by N/A |
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Patron Saint of |
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Blessed’s Biography
Blessed Mafalda of Portugal was born a princess, the daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal. She was the sister of Saint Theresa of Portugal and Saint Sancha of Portugal. In 1215 Portugal was involved in a war to reclaim the Iberian peninsula from the Moors. To seal an alliance with the neighboring kingdom of Castile, a marriage was arranged between Mafalda and King Henry I of Castile even though he was a small boy and she was around 30.
In 1216 Pope Innocent III annulled the marriage because they were actually related. Bl. Mafalda returned to Portugal in 1222 and entered the Benedictine convent in Arouca. She helped introduce the Cistercian Rule to the convent in 1223 and was known for her strict adherence to the Cistercian way. Bl. Mafalda helped restore the cathedral in Oporto, Portugal, and founded a hospice for pilgrims and a hospital for poor widows in Arouca.
Death
She died on May 2, 1257, in Arouca, Portugal, and her body found incorrupt when exhumed in 1617.
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