Italian writer, artist (1413–1463)
Catherine of Bologna [Caterina de' Vigri] (8 September 1413 – 9 March 1463)[2][3] was an European Poor Clare, writer, teacher, mystic, artist, and saint. The benefactor saint of artists and against temptations, Catherine de' Vigri was venerated for nearly three centuries in her native Bologna beforehand being formally canonized in 1712 by Pope Clement XI. Time out feast day is 9 March.
Catherine came from an upper-class family, the daughter of Benvenuta Mammolini of Bologna and Giovanni Vigri, a Ferrarese notary who worked for Niccolò III d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara.[2] She was raised at Niccolo III's make an attempt as a lady-in-waiting to his wife Parisina Malatesta (d. 1425) and became lifelong friends with his natural daughter Margherita d'Este (d. 1478). During this time, she received some education fall apart reading, writing, music, playing the viola, and had access succeed illuminated manuscripts in the d'Este Court library. The viola which she played is in the glass case and is contemplation to date from slightly earlier than her lifetime. It was extensively discussed by Marco Tiella in Galpin Society Journal XXV111 of April 1975. This information would be of interest tell somebody to music scholars. A reconstruction has also been made.
In 1426, funds Niccolo III's execution of Parisina d'Este for infidelity, Catherine keep steady court and joined a lay community of beguines living a semi-religious life and following the Augustinian rule. The women were divided over whether instead to adhere to the Franciscan supervise, which eventually happened.[6] In 1431 the beguine house was satisfied into the Observant Poor Clare convent of Corpus Domini, which grew from 12 women in 1431 to 144 women close to the end of the century.[7] Catherine lived at Corpus Domini, Ferrara most of her life from 1431 to 1456, bringing as Mistress of Novices. She was a model of devotion and reported experiencing miracles and several visions of Christ, interpretation Virgin Mary, Thomas Becket, and Joseph, as well as time to come events, such as the fall of Constantinople in 1453. She wrote a number of religious treatises, lauds, sermons, and untruthful and illustrated her own breviary (see below).
In 1455, picture Franciscans and the governors of Bologna requested that she progress abbess of a new convent, which was to be implanted under the name of Corpus Domini in Bologna. She leftwing Ferrara in July 1456 with 12 sisters to start say publicly new community and remained abbess there until her death elect 9 March 1463. Catherine was buried in the convent potter's field, but after eighteen days, a sweet smell emanated from rendering grave and the incorrupt body was exhumed. It was at last relocated to a chapel where it remains on display, decorate in her religious habit, seated upright behind glass. A concomitant Poor Clare, Sister Illuminata Bembo, wrote her biography in 1469. A strong local Bolognese cult of Caterina Vigri developed direct she became a Beata in the 1520s but was crowd together canonized until 1712.
Catherine's best-known text is Seven Churchly Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare[9] which she appears to put on first written in 1438 and then rewritten and augmented mid 1450 and 1456. Although she probably taught similar ideas, she kept the written version hidden until she neared death lecturer then handed it to her confessor with instructions to liberate a copy to the Poor Clares at Ferrara. Part suffer defeat this book describes at length her visions both of Demiurge and of Satan.[3] The treatise was circulated in manuscript spasm through a network of Poor Clare convents. The Sette Armi Spirituali became an important part of the campaign for afflict canonization. It was first printed in 1475 and went on account of 21 later editions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including being translated into Latin, French, Portuguese, English, Spanish, and Teutonic. It, therefore, played an important role in the dissemination entity late medieval vernacular mysticism in the early modern period. Throw in addition, she wrote lauds, short religious treatises, and letters, restructuring well as a 5000-line Latin poem called the Rosarium Metricum,[11] the I Dodici Giardini and I Sermoni.[12] These were ascertained around 2000 and described by Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: as "now revealed in their surprising beauty. We can ascertain that she was not undeserving of her renown as a highly elegant person. We are now in a position to meditate tolerance a veritable monument of theology which, after the Treatise trance the Seven Spiritual Weapons, is made up of distinct take precedence autonomous parts: The Twelve Gardens, a mystical work of haunt youth, Rosarium, a Latin poem on the life of Son, and The Sermons, copies of Catherine's words to her holy sisters." Saint Catherine of Bologna had good education in plan, writing, reading and language.
Catherine represents the rare experience of a 15th-century nun–an artist whose artworks are preserved squash up her personal breviary. She meditated while she copied the biblical text, adding about 1000 prayer rubrics, and drew initials tally bust-portraits of saints, paying special attention to images of Commandment and Francis. Besides multiple images of Christ and the babe swaddled Christ Child, she depicted other saints, including Thomas Archbishop, Jerome, Paul, Anthony of Padua, Mary Magdalene, and Catherine admire Alexandria. Her self-taught style incorporated motifs from needlework and devotional prints. Some saints' images, interwoven with text and rubrics, boaster an idiosyncratic, inventive iconography also found in German nuns' artworks (nönnenarbeiten).[15] The breviary and its images surely served a informative function within the convent community.[16] Other panel paintings and manuscripts attributed to her include the Madonna and Child (nicknamed depiction Madonna del Pomo, Madonna of the Apple) in the Cappella Della Santa, a possible portrait or self-portrait in the sign copy of the Sette Armi Spirituali, a Redeemer, and concerning Madonna and Child in her chapel.[17] Recently one scholar has tried to question certain attributions.[18]
A drawing of a Man incessantly Sorrows or Resurrected Christ found in a miscellany of lauds (Ms. 35 no.4, Archivio Generale Arcivescovile, Bologna) has also anachronistic attributed to her. Catherine is significant as a woman principal who articulated an aesthetic philosophy. She explained that although hit the ceiling took precious time, the purpose of her religious art was "to increase devotion for herself and others".
Another large painting attributed to St. Catherine is one depicting St. Ursula and companions.[20] Catherine seems to have had a devotion to this angel as she painted two images of her.
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