Roseline de Villeneuve, born in 1263, was the daughter of wealthy Catholic parents who lived in Provence, France. Despite her comfortable background, Roseline was compassionate and kind to the poor, a shining example of Christian charity.
Her first miracle occurred during the famine when peasants had little to eat. Roseline would give them food from her parents' storeroom. One day, her father surprised her while she was wearing a folded apron full of the bread that she had prepared for local villagers who had little to eat. When he asked to see what was in the apron, Roseline had no choice.
She obeyed her father, but no bread fell from the apron — instead, only beautiful roses. Angels, no doubt, had stepped in to help!
A miraculous meal
Other signs followed as Roseline continued doing good works.
She became a nun and eventually prioress of the charterhouse of Celle Roubaud in Les Arcs, Provence.
Another significant sign occurred while Rosaline was preparing a meal for her fellow nuns. She fell behind, lost in prayer, and the meal was not ready when the monastery bell rang. But to everyone's surprise, food was already on the table when the sisters entered the refectory.
Towards the end of her life, Roseline asked to become a simple nun once again. One year later, on January 17, 1329, she died.
When exhumed five years later, her body was intact, along with her eyes which were open.
Saint Roseline’s body was embalmed in 1894 and is preserved in the old chapel of Celle-Roubaud, now called the Chapel of Saint Roseline.
Remembering St. Rosalie with a Provençal dish
One appropriate way of honoring St. Rosaline’s feast day would be to prepare a meal from her native region of Provence. A particularly well-loved traditional recipe is ratatouille. It is much appreciated because the dish incorporates fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs from Provence, plus that must-have in every Provencal cuisine — extra-virgin olive oil.
We love ratatouille because it's simple, versatile, and tastes even better the day after. Also, it will keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Ratatouille recipe
Ingredients (Serves 4 - 6)
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 4 peeled tomatoes (cover in boiling water for two to three minutes until the skins have split)
- 2 medium-sized chopped red bell peppers
- 2 eggplants (see prep directions below)
- 2 medium-sized chopped zucchinis (sliced, then quartered)
- Olive oil - approximately 2 tablespoons per cooked vegetable
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 sprigs of thyme; salt; ground black pepper (or a mixture of cayenne pepper and paprika)
Directions: The secret to a delicious ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately. Sweating the eggplants to extract water before cooking is also a good idea.
To do this, cut two eggplants into half inch cubes and put them in a colander. Sprinkle salt on them and place them over a bowl for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplants under tap water, press them gently, and dry them on a paper towel.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions, pepper, and thyme, and cook until the onions are soft. Add the prepared tomatoes and crushed garlic. Cook until almost all the water from the vegetables has evaporated. Set aside.
Cook the dried eggplant in olive oil over high heat for a few minutes until they are brown. Add them to the onion, pepper, and tomato mixture. Cook on low heat while you prepare the zucchini.
Fry the quartered zucchini in olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, and cook on high heat until brown. Add them to the central pan and cook again on low heat for a few minutes.
Check and adjust your seasoning.
You can reheat the dish on low heat for half an hour or so the next day before serving.
Most importantly, if you have invited guests and are running late, do not panic. Simply say a prayer to St. Roseline and ask her and her angel friends to help you serve a wonderful meal!
