Saint Gemma Galgani of Lucca – Saint Of The Day – 11 April
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Saint Gemma of Lucca. An Italian mystic venerated as a saint. Manifested stigmata. Devoted to Sacred Heart of Jesus. She is called Daughter of the Passion, Gem of Christ and Flower of Lucca.
Gemma Calgani (1878–1903) was a fifth of eight children in an upper-class Tuscan family of a pharmacist. Her mother died when Gemma was a child, and the girl was placed in a private nursery school in Lucca (also Tuscany, Italy). After that Gemma continued her education at the half-board school where at the age of 16 she got sick with the spinal meningitis. She recovered from the illness, she attributed her recovery to her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of “God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind”.
Sacred Heart of Jesus by the Italian artist Pompeo Batoni (1708–1787)
When Gemma was 21 she began to manifest stigmata. She claimed that she had spoken with her guardian angel, Jesus, Virgin Mary and other saints, especially Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. According to her testimonies, she sometimes received special messages from them about current or future events. She was also frequently found in a state of ecstasy.
Gemma Calgani died in the age of 25 from tuberculosis.
In sacred art St Gemma Calgani is depicted with flowers (lilies), a crucifix or holding a heart (as a quotation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). Portrait resemblance is also important, since there are photographs taken during the life of the saint.
Gemma Calgani by Jose Luis CastrilloSt Gemma Calgani by Gaetano d’Emanuele (1876-1953)
When Gemma was 21 she began to manifest stigmata. She claimed that she had spoken with her guardian angel, Jesus, Virgin Mary and other saints, especially Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. According to her testimonies, she sometimes received special messages from them about current or future events. She was also frequently found in a state of ecstasy. 
