Zita of Lucca

This chapter focuses on the cult of Zita of Lucca (d. 1278). The earliest source for the existence of Zita's cult is a miracle collection that was begun on April 28, 1278, the day after Zita's death. This same manuscript contains the earliest copy of her vita, which reports that it was the notary Fatinello di Migliore who had transcribed 150 accounts of miracles performed at Zita's tomb. While several aspects of Zita's life and early cult do not fit into the trajectory of female lay saints' cults that have been discussed in the previous chapters, they do mirror certain themes in the cults of thirteenth-century laymen. Ultimately, Zita's role as the perfect candidate came as the result of the vita's construction of her as an outlier among the general lay population, and most importantly, among pious laywomen. Thus, Zita is not simply a pious parishioner as well as an attentive and obedient worker, but a model of lay religious restraint and practicality. Zita, as the vita's author will repeatedly reiterate, knew the proper times, places, and manner for expressing her penitential commitment and zeal. In short, Zita was an anomaly, bucking all expectations about the behavior of a devout laywoman.