Agnes of Montepulciano
Encyclopedia
Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, O.P.
, (in Italian
: Agnese Segni di Montepulciano) (1268–1317) was born into a noble family in Gracciano, a small village near Montepulciano
in Tuscany
, Italy
, where, at the age of nine, she entered the monastery
of the Dominican nuns of the Second Order
.
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.
In 1288 Agnes, despite her youth at only 20 years of age, was elected as prioress. There she gained a reputation for performing miracles: people suffering from mental and physical ailments seemed cured by her presence. She was reported to have "multiplied loaves", creating many from a few on numerous occasions, recalling the Gospel miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Later about 1306, Agnes established a monastery of Dominican
nuns in Gracciano. She presided over this monastery until her death. After her death, her body was said to remain incorrupt
, rather than decomposing. It was reported that a perfumed liquid flowed from her hands and feet.
The Dominican friar
Raymond of Capua, who served as confessor
to Saint Catherine of Siena
, wrote an account of Agnes some fifty years later. St. Catherine herself referred to her as "Our mother, the glorious Agnes."
Agnes of Montepulciano was canonized
by Pope Benedict XIII
in 1726. Her feast day is April 20.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, (in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Agnese Segni di Montepulciano) (1268–1317) was born into a noble family in Gracciano, a small village near Montepulciano
Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany, in Italy. Montepulciano, with an elevation of 605 m, sits on a high limestone ridge. By car it is 13 km E of Pienza; 70 km SE of Siena, 124 km SE of Florence, and...
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where, at the age of nine, she entered the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Dominican nuns of the Second Order
Second Order (religious)
When referring to Roman Catholic religious orders, the term Second Order refers to those Orders of cloistered nuns which are a part of the mendicant Orders that developed in the Middle Ages.-St. Dominic:...
.
In 1281, the lord of the castle of Proceno
Proceno
Proceno is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Latium, located about 110 km northwest of Rome and about 45 km northwest of Viterbo...
, a fief of Orvieto
Orvieto
Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
, 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.
In 1288 Agnes, despite her youth at only 20 years of age, was elected as prioress. There she gained a reputation for performing miracles: people suffering from mental and physical ailments seemed cured by her presence. She was reported to have "multiplied loaves", creating many from a few on numerous occasions, recalling the Gospel miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Later about 1306, Agnes established a monastery of Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
nuns in Gracciano. She presided over this monastery until her death. After her death, her body was said to remain incorrupt
Incorruptibility
Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness...
, rather than decomposing. It was reported that a perfumed liquid flowed from her hands and feet.
The Dominican friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
Raymond of Capua, who served as confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
to Saint Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
, wrote an account of Agnes some fifty years later. St. Catherine herself referred to her as "Our mother, the glorious Agnes."
Agnes of Montepulciano was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
by Pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII
-Footnotes:...
in 1726. Her feast day is April 20.