MARIA di CERVELLÓ, Blessed. - B. in Barcelona to a noble family on 7 Dec. 1230, d. there on 19 Sept. 1290. She was also called di Cervellione, or del Socós (= help) because of the graces bestowed upon her devotees; she was known for the charity she exercised toward the sick, the oppressed, the poor, and prisoners.
She lived for thirty years beside her parents in the practice of the most beautiful virtues; after their death, she took the habit of the Order of Mercy for the redemption of slaves. She devoted the rest of her life to works of piety and charity, being favoured with numerous mystical gifts. Buried in the church of the Mercedarians in Barcelona, in 1380 Pietro IV d'Aragona had a precious urn carved to contain her remains. Her cult was approved in 1692. Feast day: 19 Sept.
Artists portray her with an oar in her hand. She is invoked in dangers at sea, because, while still alive, she was seen walking upon the waves and miraculously assisting shipwrecked persons.