Santa Rosa de Lima

This is considered a true likeness of St. Rose painted after her death.

Isabella Flores, commonly known as Rose, was born in Lima, Peru in1586, and became the first canonized saint of the Western Hemisphere.

She made a vow of virginity at an early age and only with great difficulty overcame the objections and misunderstanding of her familyto her way of life.

At the age of twenty she became a Dominican tertiary and lived in a hermitage which she had set up in her family’sgarden. She practiced severe penances for the salvation of sinners and for the missionary efforts of the Church in the Indies. Her great love for Christ manifested itself by her care of and concern for thepoor and sick.

She had a special devotion to Christ in the Eucharistand to Mary, the Mother of God. Her desire to teach others the secret of prayer made her a zealous promoter of the rosary. She died at Lima on August 24, 1617.

Saint Rose's family home became a monastery of Dominican Nuns that is thriving to this day. Above, you can see the well that St. Rose threw the key to the lock that held the chain around her waist in place. Later, when it became unbearable, angels came and broke the lock.

Here is St. Rose's hermitage! Go to Anne Barnhart's site for the orginal photo.