On April 20, 1586, in the city of Lima, Isabel Flores de Oliva was born without her mother experiencing labor pains. She was born in a house located on Santo Domingo street, and that day coincided with the feast of Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, a Dominican nun known as “the Virgin of the Flowers.” The painless birth and the influence of the Order of Preachers were not the only signs in the life of the one who would later become the first saint of America. Isabel was baptized on Pentecost, also known as “the day of the roses,” a sign that manifested when, at three months old, her mother noticed that her face was glowing like a rose and began calling her by that name. This prodigy, later known as the "miracle of the cradle," was the first in a series of extraordinary events that would lead her, among other reasons, to a place on the altars.
Faced with family opposition to entering a monastery, Rosa decided to take the state of beata, wearing the habit of Saint Dominic, adopting the name Rosa de Santa María, and withdrew to her home with the hope of professing in a convent of the Order of Preachers. This personal hope became the driving force for the Dominicans to fulfill an old dream: the foundation of a convent for their female branch in Lima.
At the age of 12, Catalina cut her hair in rebellion against her parents, who were trying to present suitors to marry her, as she already considered herself the wife of Christ. Rosa, at the same age and emulating Catalina, also cut her hair, as she believed that hair was "the bonds with which the devil trapped the souls." Both reject marriage for the same reason. By gaining control over their own bodies through celibacy, they free themselves from the oppressive obligations of marital society. In doing so, they enter another realm, the Ecclesia spiritualis, or City of God, where they live in the company of saints and angels.
Like the first virgin martyrs described in The Golden Legend of the Dominican Saint James of the Voragine (c. 1228-1298), both prefer death to marriage: the suitors embody all the fleeting vanities of the earthly city.
Despite living a life of seclusion and contemplation, Rosa's influence transcended the limits of her cell, turning her into a living symbol. Rosa passed away in 1617, on August 24, the day when the sun enters the sign of Virgo. Luisa Melgarejo, her companion on the path to holiness, saw her shining like a burning star, resembling the sun. This vision made a direct reference to the image of the woman described in the Apocalypse: the one who has the moon under her feet, a crown of twelve stars, and is enveloped in the sun. Thus, Rosa, in her deathbed as in her cradle, reflected the figure of Mary.
The funeral was magnificent, with an endless crowd filling the streets through which the procession passed. People implored favors, doing everything possible to touch the body and obtain a piece of her clothing. A day and a half after her death, her face remained radiant, her body was incorrupt, and it emitted a pleasant fragrance. Rosa, like other exemplary individuals, had died in "the odor of sanctity." Shortly after her death, there was no corner of the Viceroyalty that did not have a portrait of her. This was made possible thanks to Angelino Medoro, who painted her just a few hours after her passing.
In 1622, Teresa of Jesus, Ignacio de Loyola, and Francisco Javier were canonized. Rosa did not lag behind; her exemplary life made it impossible, and her spiritual guides would not have allowed it. The first sign that Rosa's figure had taken root in Lima was the foundation, in 1624, of a Dominican monastery dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. In 1668, Rosa was beatified, and in 1671, canonized, becoming the first saint of America. A few years later, in 1708, a second Dominican monastery was opened in Lima, also dedicated to the saint.
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