Baptista Varani
Encyclopedia
Baptista Varani O.S.C., (b. at Camerino
, in the March of Ancona
, 9 April 1458; d. there, 31 May 1527) was an Italian Poor Clare nun
and ascetical writer.
she received the name of Camilla. Of the first ten and the last twenty-three years of her life little or nothing is known; our knowledge of the intervening years is derived almost entirely from her own writings. This revelation of herself was brought about through the influence of her confessor
, Peter of Mogliano, Minister provincial
of the Friars Minor in the Marches
(1490). It seems to have been the eloquence of friar Peter that brought about the "conversion" of Camilla, who, for a time at least, appears to have been captivated by the glamor of the world. Her father did all in his power to force his daughter into marriage, even to the extent of imprisoning her. But Camilla resisted his plans so firmly that after two years and a half he restored her to liberty, for fear, as he said, of drawing upon himself divine vengeance, and gave his consent to her becoming a nun.
On 14 November 1481, Camilla entered the monastery
of the Poor Clares at Urbino
. Not long afterwards her father founded a new monastery of that Order at Camerino, and presented it to his daughter. Baptista introduced the Primitive Observance of the Rule there, and thenceforth her vigorous and impressive personality found scope not only in the administration of this monastery, of which she became the first abbess, but also in the production of various literary works.
Baptista died on the feast of Corpus Christi, and was buried in the choir of her monastery.
Devotion to Blessed Baptista was approved by Pope Gregory XVI
in 1843, and her feast is kept in the Franciscan Order on 2 June.
As a whole the writings of Baptista are remarkable for originality of thought, spirituality, and vivid language. Both Saint Philip Neri
and St. Alphonsus Liguori recorded their admiration for her.
Camerino
Camerino is a small town of 7.135 inhabitants in the Marches , in the province of Macerata, Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about 40 miles from Ancona....
, in the March of Ancona
March of Ancona
The March of Ancona or marca Anconitana was a frontier march centred on the city of Ancona and, then, Macerata in the Middle Ages...
, 9 April 1458; d. there, 31 May 1527) was an Italian Poor Clare nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and ascetical writer.
Life
Her father, Julius Caesar Varano or de Varanis, Duke of Camerino, belonged to an illustrious family; her mother, Joanna Malatesta, was a daughter of Sigismund, the Lord of Rimini. At baptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
she received the name of Camilla. Of the first ten and the last twenty-three years of her life little or nothing is known; our knowledge of the intervening years is derived almost entirely from her own writings. This revelation of herself was brought about through the influence of her 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...
, Peter of Mogliano, Minister provincial
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
of the Friars Minor in the Marches
March of Ancona
The March of Ancona or marca Anconitana was a frontier march centred on the city of Ancona and, then, Macerata in the Middle Ages...
(1490). It seems to have been the eloquence of friar Peter that brought about the "conversion" of Camilla, who, for a time at least, appears to have been captivated by the glamor of the world. Her father did all in his power to force his daughter into marriage, even to the extent of imprisoning her. But Camilla resisted his plans so firmly that after two years and a half he restored her to liberty, for fear, as he said, of drawing upon himself divine vengeance, and gave his consent to her becoming a nun.
On 14 November 1481, Camilla 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 Poor Clares at Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
. Not long afterwards her father founded a new monastery of that Order at Camerino, and presented it to his daughter. Baptista introduced the Primitive Observance of the Rule there, and thenceforth her vigorous and impressive personality found scope not only in the administration of this monastery, of which she became the first abbess, but also in the production of various literary works.
Baptista died on the feast of Corpus Christi, and was buried in the choir of her monastery.
Devotion to Blessed Baptista was approved by Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
in 1843, and her feast is kept in the Franciscan Order on 2 June.
Works
She wrote with equal facility in Latin and Italian, and who was accounted one of the most accomplished scholars of her day. Her works include the: "Recordationes et instructiones spirituales novem", which she wrote about 1491; "Opus de doloribus mentalibus D.N.J.C.", written during 1488-91 and first published at Camerino in 1630; "Liber suae conversionis", a story of her life, written in 1491, and first published at Macerata in 1624. These works have been edited by the Bollandists in connection with some of Baptista's letters. But most of her "Epistolae spirituales ad devotas personas" as well as her "Carmina pleraque latina et vulgaria" are still unpublished.As a whole the writings of Baptista are remarkable for originality of thought, spirituality, and vivid language. Both Saint Philip Neri
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...
and St. Alphonsus Liguori recorded their admiration for her.