Agnes of Montepulciano
Blessed Sacrament from an angel | |
---|---|
Born | Gracciano, Montepulciano, Papal States | January 28, 1268
Died | April 20, 1317 Montepulciano, Papal States | (aged 49)
Venerated in | Catholic Church (Dominican Order) |
Canonized | 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII |
Major shrine | Church of St Agnes, Montepulicano, Siena, Italy |
Feast | 20 April |
Attributes | Lily and a lamb |
Agnes of Montepulciano, OP (28 January 1268 – 20 April 1317)
Life
Agnes was born in 1268 into the noble Segni family in
In 1281, the lord of the castle of Proceno, a fief of Orvieto, invited the nuns of Montepulciano to send some of their sisters to Proceno to found a new monastery. Agnes was among the nuns sent to found this new community. At the age of fourteen she was appointed bursar.[4]
In 1288 Agnes, despite her youth at only 20 years of age, was noted for her devotion to the
In 1306, Agnes was recalled to head the monastery in Montepulciano. Agnes reached a high degree of contemplative prayer and is said to have been favoured with many visions. After her return, she proceeded to build a church,
By 1316, Agnes' health had declined so greatly that her doctor suggested taking the cure at the thermal springs in the neighbouring town of Chianciano Terme. The nuns of the community prevailed upon her to take his recommendation. While many of the other bathers reported being cured of their illnesses, Agnes received no benefit from the springs. Her health deteriorated to such a degree that she had to be carried back to the monastery on a stretcher.[3]
Veneration
Agnes died the following 20 April, at the age of 49. The Dominican friars attempted to obtain balsam (or myrrh) to embalm her body. It was found, however, to be producing a sweet odor on its own, and her limbs remained supple.[3] When her body was moved years after her death to the monastery church, it was found to be incorrupt.[6] Her tomb became the site of pilgrimages.
Some fifty years after her death, a Dominican
In 1435 her remains were moved to the church of San Domenico, Orvieto. [8]
Agnes was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.[1] The latest official edition of the Roman Martyrology commemorates Agnes under the date of 20 April. [9]. This is also the date of her feast day within the Dominican Order.
Agnes of Montepulciano is depicted as a Dominican nun with a cross or crucifix, lilies, and a lamb (a play upon the name "Agnes").[10]
See also
Gallery
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Signs of Saint Agnes by Domenico Beccafumi, 1507
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Ceramic ceiling by anonymous artist
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Statue of Saint Agnes at Klosterkirche Maria Medingen
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Saint Agnes at Santa Caterina, Palermo
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87099-812-6.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Edward. "St. Agnes of Montepulciano." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 25 November 2021 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sant' Agnese Segni di Montepulciano". Santi Beati (in Italian).
- ^ a b c "Dorcy, Marie Jean. St. Dominic's Family, Tan Books and Publishers, (1983)". Archived from the original on 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ^ Monks of Ramsgate. "Agnes of Monte Pulciano". Book of Saints 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 10 August 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "St. Agnes of Montepuliciano". Catholic News Agency. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ Mariani, Lorenzo Sordini (1606). Vita di S. Agnesa Vergine da Montepulciano; dell' Ordine de Predicatori, Con alcune Relazioni di cose nuovamente accadute, Raccolta dal R. P. F. Lorenzo Sordini Mariani, Predicatore Generale Nella Provincia Romana, e Professo, Dell' istesso ordine, in Santa Maria Novella Di Firenze. Florence : Bartolommeo Sermartelli, e Fratelli.
- ^ Butler, Alban. "Saint Agnes of Monte Pulciano, Virgin and Abbess". Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints 1866. CatholicSaints.Info. 21 May 2017 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ISBN 88-209-7210-7""At Montepulciano in Tuscany, Saint Agnes, virgin, who at the age of 9 was clothed in the habit of holy virgins and aged only 15 was put in charge of the nuns of Proceno. Not long afterwards she gave an marvellous example of true humility in the monastery (Montepulciano) she had founded according to the teaching of St Dominic.""
- ^ Stracke, Richard. "Saint Agnes of Montepulciano: The Iconography", Christian Iconography
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Agnes of Montepulciano". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
External links
- Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.