Saint Camilla Battista da Varano
Saint Camilla Battista da Varano (born April 9, 1458 AD in Camerino, Marche, Italy; died May 31, 1524 AD in Camerino) was an Italian Poor Clare abbess and mystic, daughter of the Duke of Camerino, whose spiritual writings on the mental sufferings of Christ made her a significant figure in Italian mystical literature. She was canonized by Pope Francis on October 17, 2010. Her feast day is May 31.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Camilla Battista Da Varano
| Saint Camilla Battista da Varano | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | May 31 |
| Profession | Poor Clare abbess; mystic; spiritual writer |
| Rel. Affiliation | Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares) |
| Patronage | Camerino; mystics; spiritual writers |
| Attributes | Poor Clare habit; quill pen; book of mystical writings |
| Birthplace | Camerino, Macerata Province, Marche, Italy |
| Death Place | Camerino, Macerata Province, Marche, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Monastery of Corpus Domini, Camerino, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Camilla Battista da Varano was born on April 9, 1458 as the illegitimate but acknowledged daughter of Giovanni Maria da Varano, Duke of Camerino. Despite her noble birth and upbringing in the court of Camerino, she felt a powerful religious vocation from an early age, intensified by a sermon on the mental sufferings of Christ she heard in 1479. Against her father's initial opposition, she entered the Poor Clares in Urbino in 1481, taking the name Battista in religion.
She returned to Camerino where she founded and became abbess of the Monastery of Corpus Domini. Her spiritual life was marked by deep contemplative prayer and intense meditation on the Passion of Christ, particularly on the interior sufferings of his soul — the anguish of Gethsemane and the sense of abandonment on the Cross. She wrote several spiritual works including The Mental Sufferings of Christ in His Passion (Le Dolori mentali di Gesù nella sua Passione), The Spiritual Life, and a series of letters and instructions to her nuns.
She experienced mystical sufferings on the Fridays of Lent that were understood as a sharing in Christ's Passion. She died on May 31, 1524, after a long illness. She was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI in 1843 and canonized on October 17, 2010.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Camerino, Macerata Province, Marche, Italy
Death location: Camerino, Macerata Province, Marche, Italy
Notable location: The Poor Clare monastery she entered and eventually led as abbess (Monastery of Corpus Domini, Camerino, Marche, Italy)
Notable location: Where she briefly stayed and helped establish a community of Poor Clares (Urbino, Marche, Italy)
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Parishes
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Media
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Monastery of Corpus Domini, Camerino, Italy — the monastery she founded and led; place of her burial.
Canonization
Saint Camilla Battista da Varano was beatified on April 7, 1843 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized on October 17, 2010, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.
Feast day
May 31
Veneration
Saint Camilla Battista da Varano is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on May 31 (Optional Memorial).
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
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External links
- catholicsaints.info – Saint Camilla Battista da Varano
- catholic.org – Saint Camilla Battista da Varano