The Golden Rose

I was doing some research on Gibraltar and came across a fact which escaped me in 2009. Pope Benedict XVI gave the coveted Golden Rose to the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe in that country. To date, the Pope has given twelve Golden Roses to shrines, including one to the National Shrine in Washington D.C. in America.

Most recent popes have given the Golden Rose to shrines, but in the past, such a prized, blessed gift was also given to people. Some popes only gave a few, such as Blessed John Paul II, who only gave four. The list of shrines may be found on Wiki.

An incomplete list of people who have been given the Golden Rose may be found in the Catholic Encyclopaedia on-line. Here it is and I left the links on purpose so one can follow some of these popes. I have also highlighted the ones I consider important.

• Falcone, Count of Angers, who received it from Urban II (1096);
• Alfonso VII, King of Castile (Eugene III; 1148);
• Louis VII of France (Alexander III; 1163);
• Louis I of Hungary (Clement VI; 1348);
• Joanna I, Queen of Naples (1368);
• Emperor Sigismund (Eugene IV; 1435);
• Henry VI of England (Eugene IV; 1444);
• Casimir IV, King of Poland (Nicholas V; 1448);
• Emperor Frederick III and his wife Empress Eleonora, who were crowned on Lætare Sunday (1452) and received the Golden Rosenext day from Nicholas V;
• Charles VII of France (Callistus III; 1457);
• James III of Scotland (Innocent VIII; 1486);
• Isabella I, Queen of Spain (Alexander VI; 1493);
• Alexander I of Poland (Julius II; 1505);
• Emanuel I of Portugal (Julius II; 1506);
• Henry VIII of England, who received one from Pope Julius II, one from Leo X, and one from Clement VII in year 1524;
• Frederick, Duke of Mantua (Paul III; 1537), because of his kindness towards the Fathers of the Council of Trent;
• Mary, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII (Paul IV; 1555);
• Henry of Anjou, King of Poland (Clement VIII; 1592);
• Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, on the day she was married to Philip III by proxy in presence of Pope Clement VIII (1598);
• Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, at Amiens (Urban VIII; 1625);
• Maria of Austria, Queen of Hungary (Urban VIII; 1630);
• Maria Theresa, Queen of France (1668), for her infant son, the Dauphin, for whom Pope Alexander VII was godfather;
• Eleonora, Queen of Poland (Clement X; 1671);
• Mary Casimir, wife of John III, King of Poland, Saviour of Vienna (Innocent XI; 1684);
• Amelia of Brunswick, empress (Innocent XII; 1699);
• Maria Louisa Gabriele of Savoy, Queen of Spain (Clement XI; 1701);
• Francesco Loredano, Doge of Venice (Clement XIII; 1759);
• Maria Christina, Archduchess of Austria (Pius VI; 1776);
• Maria Theresa, widowed Queen of Sardinia (Leo XII; 1825);
• Maria Anna, Queen of Hungary, afterwards empress (Gregory XVI; 1832);
• Maria II, Queen of Portugal (Gregory XVI; 1842);
• Maria Pia of Portugal, on the day of her baptism (Pius IX, her godfather, 1849);
• Isabella II of Spain (Pius IX; 1868);
• Maria Christina, Queen Regent of Spain (Leo XIII; 1886);
• Isabella, Princess Imperial of Brazil, then Regent of the Empire (Leo XIII; 1880);
• Maria Amélie, Queen of Portugal (Leo XIII; 1892);
• Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians (Leo XIII; 1893).