St. Margaret of Castello was born around 1287 in the fortified village of Metola (Urbino, Italy), into a family of minor nobility. Born blind and deformed, she was locked up by her father in a small cell built near the castle church so that she would remain hidden from the eyes of the world. At the age of five, she was taken by her parents to Città di Castello, to the church of San Francesco near the tomb of a lay Franciscan friar, Giacomo da Città di Castello, who died in 1292 in the esteem of sainthood, in the hope of obtaining the miracle of sight for their daughter. But the expected miracle did not occur, so the parents decided to abandon their daughter definitively and entrust her to the solidarity of the inhabitants of Città di Castello.

The little girl lived for some time begging in the streets of the city, before being taken in by some nuns of the small community of Santa Margherita. Her very mortified conduct of life and her admonitions aroused the envy of the nuns, who after a short time sent her away. The little girl was saved by a couple of devout Christian parents, Grigia and Venturino, who took her in, together with the two children they already had, reserving a small cell for her in the upper part of their house, so that she could freely dedicate herself to prayer, contemplation and penitential practices, such as fasting, flagellation and the cilice. For her part, Margaret made her spiritual and intellectual gifts available to the family, dedicating herself to the Christian education of Grigia and Venturino's children and, despite her blindness, to works of charity, visiting prisoners and the sick. Prodigious signs, miracles and extraordinary healings and other mystical phenomena began to be attributed to her.

Margaret also attended daily the nearby church of the Charity of the Friars Preachers and was part of the Mantellate Dominicans, later called the Secular Tertiaries of San Domenico. She devoted herself to assiduous prayer, daily confession, frequent communion, the recitation of the office of the Virgin and the Psalter, and constant meditation on the mystery of the Incarnation.

She died on April 13, 1320 in Città di Castello (Italy).

The virtuous life of Margaret is characterized above all by the trusting abandonment to Providence, as a joyful participation in the mystery of the cross, especially in her condition of being disabled, rejected and marginalized. This loving conformity to Christ was accompanied by intense mystical experiences. The sapientia cordis thus matured radiated to others. Her meditation on the life of Christ was frequent and assiduous.

Miraculous healings were also attributed to her and this contributed to making her a point of reference for many. Despite her disability, driven by charity, she exercised her teaching towards some female disciples, to whom she taught the Office of the Virgin and the Psalter; she educated the children of the couple who welcomed her into their home; she was godmother and educated in Christian doctrine a niece of her adoptive parents; she guided the vocation of a young woman, inviting her and her mother to wear the religious habit; He also tried to lead the nuns of a monastery back to perfect observance with gentle admonitions.

Like other medieval mystics, Margaret combined assiduous prayer with very harsh penances: fasting, vigils, sackcloth, flagellation. All to imitate Christ who voluntarily gave himself over to the passion for the salvation of humanity.

Blessed Margaret is an example of an evangelical woman who developed a deep and fervent experience of unitive life with the Lord. Her illness did not prevent her from living an exceptional and fruitful spiritual motherhood, which even today recalls the importance of taking care of others. Furthermore, it can be a strong call of hope for every situation of marginalization and suffering.

Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi. Margherita di Città di Castello. Vatican.va,

• https://www.causesanti.va/it/santi-e-beati/margherita-di-citta-di-castello.html. Accessed 21 May 2025.