St. Margaret of Cortona died on 22 February 1297. She was a devoted follower of St. Francis of Assisi and belonged to the so-called Tertiary, or Third Order of Franciscans, reserved for men and women who wanted to lead a devout life but did not take full monastic vows. Though she was recognized as a holy woman immediately upon her death, inspiring a new iconography based on her biography, she was canonized only in 1728.
Unknown Italian Painter, St. Margaret of Cortona and Scenes from her Life, ca. 1298, panel. Museo Diocesano, Cortona
Giovanni Lanfranco, Ecstasy of St. Margaret of Cortona, 1622, oil on canvas. Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Ecstasy of St. Margaret of Cortona, 1701, oil on canvas. Museo Diocesano, Cortona