Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism. She influenced the papacy. She was behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome. She carried out many missions entrusted by the pope, something quite rare for a woman in the Middle Ages. She was a lay member of the Dominican Order. She was also a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and the Catholic Church. She was Canonized in 1461 She is also a Doctor of the Church.