March 9 marks the feast day of Saint Catherine of Bologna, artist, writer, mystic and educator.
Born on 8 September 1413, Caterina Vigri was the daughter of a diplomat to the court of the Marquis of Ferrara, Niccolò III d’Este. From around the age of ten, she benefitted from a liberal education at court and acted as Lady in Waiting to the Marquis’s wife, Parisina Malatesta, and friendly companion to the couple’s daughter, Margherita.
In 1426, following the execution of Parisina for her adultery with her Niccolò’s son, Caterina’s calling took her to the convent of Corpus Domini in Ferrara, where she became a Franciscan Tertiary. While there, she acted as Mistress of Novices and wrote a treatise, perhaps encouraged by her visions of Christ and the Devil, entitled The Seven Spiritual Weapons – a slim volume that advises the faithful on how to conquer the Devil’s temptations by following the word of Christ.
Caterina also illustrated her own breviary.
In 1456 Caterina left the Ferrarese convent and moved to Bologna, where she and a dozen other sisters founded the convent of Corpus Domini there.
Other artworks attributed to Caterina Vigri include Saint Ursula and her Maidens and Madonna of the Peach.
On 9 March 1463 in Bologna, following a short illness, Caterina died. She was buried within the cemetery of Corpus Domini, but her body was exhumed a short time thereafter, following reports of a sweet smell emanating from the grave. Her corpse was found to be incorrupt and was eventually moved to the chapel of the Poor Clares in Bologna. Caterina was then beatified in 1524 and finally canonised in 1712.
Further Reading:
Bert Roest, Order and Disorder: The Poor Clares Between Foundation and Reform, Lieden: Brill, 2013.