Christina is believed to have been born on July 24, 1242, to farmers Heinrich and Hilla Bruso in the village of Stumbeln (now Stommeln), northwest of Cologne.

[1] When she was twelve her parents wished to arrange her marriage, but she left home without their permission and joined a Beguine community in Cologne.

This, combined with other mystic experiences, convinced others in the community that she was insane and she was treated with contempt, leading her to return to her home village in 1267.

She left the priest's household and moved into a small cloister, where she lived a quiet life until her death at the age of 70 on November 6, 1312.

Her relics survived the destruction of the Provost's Church during the Allies' air raid on Jülich on November 16, 1944.