Santa María de la Cabeza

Maria Torribia
Statues of St. Isidore and St. Maria Torribia (María de la Cabeza) on the facade of the Colegiata de San Isidro in Madrid.
Laywoman
Born	??? Caraquiz
Died	1175
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	11 August 1697, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Innocent XII
Feast	9 September 15 May (with Isidore)
Patronage	World Youth Day 2011

Maria Torribia (d. 1175) was a Spanish peasant woman who is believed to have married Saint Isidore. She herself was eventually beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, and is known in Spain as Santa María de la Cabeza (in English, "Saint Mary of the Head"). Her cause for sainthood is currently on process, within the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Saint Mary of the Head's date of birth is unknown, but it was sometime near the end of the 11th century or at the beginning of the 12th century. Torribia is believed to have been born in Caraquiz, a little village close to Uceda, in the current-day Spanish province of Guadalajara. She subsequently lived in Torrelaguna, in current-day Madrid Province. There, she met and married Isidore, a simple farmer from Madrid (who, according to some sources, had fled there as a result of the Almoravid invasion), with whom she would have her only son, Illan. According to legend, the child one day fell down a deep well, leaving the parents with no recourse but prayer. Miraculously, the water level suddenly rose to the level of the ground, and the floating baby was easily rescued unharmed. As a result of this, she and her husband committed themselves to sexual abstinence as a form of devotion, and, from that time on, lived in different homes. Their son would later die in infancy.

One story relates that Maria always kept a pot of stew on the fireplace in their humble rural dwelling. She knew that her husband Isidore would often bring home anyone who was hungry. One day he brought home more hungry people than usual. After she served many of them, Maria told him that there simply was no more stew in the pot. He insisted that she check the pot again, and she was able to spoon out enough stew to feed them all.

Life during the Middle Ages was not easy for women. Saint Mary of the Head was responsible for household chores and rigorous farming activities. She heavily relied on the support of her husband.