St Zita

Pilgrim badge of St Zita (also known as St Sithe or St Sitha), from an unknown shrine. St Zita was a servant from Lucca in Italy. She was famous for her piety and died in 1272, eventually becoming the patron saint of housekeepers and servants. She was revered in Lucca but her cult also spread to England. Images of St Zita could be found in churches across the country. People would pray to her to find lost belongings and donate money to their church if the items were found. St Zita was popular in London, perhaps because of its trading connections to Lucca; various chapels and altars here were dedicated to her. There was an image of the saint at Westminster Abbey and a chapel of St Zita in the church of St Benet Sherehog (this church became known as St Sithe’s in the 14th century due to her popularity). This badge shows St Zita wearing a tight-fitting tunic, sideless supertunic and a long skirt. There is a row of buttons or mounts down the front of the supertunic which ends just below her waist and her sleeves are also buttoned. She has long wavy hair and wears a chaplet or beaded wreath on her head. Her left hand is missing.