Columba of Rieti Was Beatified For Her Fasting Piety
Originally born as Angelella Guardagnoli, Columba of Rieti was beatified by the Catholic Church. This means that she was not an official saint, but that she was guaranteed a spot in Heaven, and that people can pray to her similar to a saint. As a young girl, Columba made a vow of chastity, and cut off all of her hair to stop her parents from forcing her into an arranged marriage. She became a holy mystic, and many people would visit her because they believed she was a miracle worker. Just like many of these other women with Anorexia Mirabilis, Columba would fast for prolonged periods of time in the name of God. This eventually lead to her death in 1501, when she was just 34 years old.