Before her final conversion, Casilda had already shown signs of being a pious princess who sought to bring material and spiritual comfort to the prisoners in the dungeons run by her father, Al-Mamun. She visited the cells and dungeons carrying food and medicine hidden in her clothes. Many of the prisoners were Christian priests and monks, so through them she was able to know Christ better. One of those prisoner priests would be the one who would finally baptize her.
The bouquet of roses
According to tradition, when rumors reached her father that Casilda visited the dungeons – which was absolutely forbidden – he decided to surprise her and verify her absence. One day Al-Mamun intercepted her daughter on the road when she seemed to be carrying something hidden in her clothes – Casilda had food for the prisoners. The king asked what that lump was. She replied: “They are Roses!” Immediately, the emir asked her to show them to him, and as she spread her skirt, she miraculously dropped a bundle of red roses. Her father, who was already ready to punish her, could not do so, remaining confused and completely silent.