Illustration of Blessed Julia of Certaldo by János Hajnal in Il fascino di Dio: Profili de agiografia agostiniana by Fernando Rojo Martínez, O.S.A. Copyright © 2000 Pubblicazioni Agostiniane Rome. Used with permission. Original art preserved in the Office of Augustinian Postulator of Causes, Rome
Blessed Julia of Certaldo
February 15
Julia of Certaldo (1319?-1370) was an Augustinian Secular who devoted herself to prayer and penance.
Born Julia della Rena in Certaldo, Italy, around 1319, she was orphaned while a young child. She went to Florence, where she found employment as a maid.
She became an Augustinian Secular in 1337. Later she was able to return to Certaldo, where she lived a life of solitude, penance and prayer for 30 years. People of the town revered her for her holiness during her life there.
She died in Certaldo in 1370. Her remains are preserved there at the Church of Saints Michael and James.