Verdiana

ON ST. VERDIANA, VIRGIN, OF CASTELFIORENTINO IN ETRURIA,

Year of Christ 1242

Preliminary Commentary.

Verdiana, Virgin, of Castelfiorentino in Etruria (Saint)

I. B.

Section I. The Age, Profession, and Acts of St. Verdiana.

[1] Castelfiorentino is ^a town of Etruria on the river Elsa, mentioned by Leandro Alberti and by Pietro Avitio, volume 3 of his Description of Europe. Here (not at Florence, as our Francis Lahier has it in his Menology of Virgins) was born, whence was St. Verdiana? and here has ^a church dedicated in her name and solemn feast days, St. Verdiana the Virgin, who is Viridiana in Wadding and others, Viridiana and Veridiana in Arthur of the Monastery, Verdina in Hugo Menard, and Verdiana in many others.

[2] That she died in the year of Christ 1222, on the Kalends of February, the writer of her Life, Ferrarius in his Catalogue of Italian Saints, Abraham Bzovius in his Annals at the same year, number 27, did she die in the year 1222? Lahier, and Silvano Razzi in his Lives of Women Illustrious for Sanctity, volume 1, and in his Lives of the Etruscan Saints, have reported. But Luke Wadding, volume 1 of the Annals of the Friars Minor, writes that she was enclosed in her cell in the year 1208, or 1242? and passed to heaven in 1242; as also, after him, Arthur in the Franciscan Martyrology, and long before, Eudoxius Locatellus in the Lives of the Generals of Vallombrosa, book 2, chapter 29, and Arnold Wion, book 3 of the Tree of Life. And certainly, since it is established from the Life, chapter 3, section 12, that Ardingus, Bishop of Florence, was accustomed to visit her regularly, if he was appointed Bishop of Florence by Pope Gregory IX in the year 1231, as Archangelus Giani writes in the Annals of the Servite Order, century 1, book 1, chapter 1, or in 1230, as Ferdinand Ughelli has it in volume 3 of Sacred Italy, then Verdiana cannot be seen to have died much before the year of Christ 1242, since he had visited her not once only but every year as long as he lived. Ughelli thinks she was visited not by Ardingus but by John, the predecessor of Ardingus. But it is easier for an error to have crept into the numbers, so that X was written for L, and the year 1222 marked instead of 1242, than for Ardingus to have been written for John.

[3] It is not clear, however, whether she followed the institutes and rules of any religious Order. Lahier reports that she spent her life under the direction and precepts of the Camaldolese monks. was she ^a nun of Vallombrosa? But not even Razzi, himself ^a Camaldolese, writes this; rather, that she followed the discipline of Vallombrosa, which Wion also, Menard, Ferrarius, Bzovius, and Cornelius Curtius (to be cited shortly below) have reported. Locatellus both calls her ^a nun and says that she received the habit of Vallombrosa from the parish priest of Castelfiorentino, because she had long been most devoted to that Order, which flourished in Etruria with the praise of outstanding sanctity. Arthur, in his Notes on February 1, section II, writes that she was received by the Seraphic Father St. Francis to the state of the Third Order, in which she lived most holily and died. or ^a Franciscan Tertiary? Wadding, volume 1, at the year 1242, number 22, has the following: "She was enclosed in the year 1208: persevering therefore in the accustomed exercise of the solitary life, at length after some years she was, by Blessed Father Francis, while he was receiving ^a dwelling there for the Brothers and admitting others to the state of penance according to the prescription of the Third Rule -- she, as still rather unlearned in the way of the Lord, being more fully instructed and illuminated by him, assumed the habit of the Third Order, whereas previously she had been following the leading of the Spirit under no fixed rule in the anchoritic state." So he writes, and then, after recounting the miracle that is related in the Life, chapter 7, section 31, he adds: "Among other gifts which she offered in thanksgiving, she had the Saint depicted in that form in which she is now seen in the church, in the habit of the Third Order and girded with ^a cord." She who, as described in chapter 2, section 8 and chapter 6, section 23, used ^a single woolen garment, coarse and rough, of the vilest cloth, could not help but come close to the habit of the Friars Minor; if she fastened that garment with ^a belt, as perhaps the demands of propriety required, it is no wonder that she used ^a cord. Yet it is not certain that the painters did not exercise their customary license. or of no Order? There is nothing, however, in her Life that compels us to admit she was ^a professed Religious.

[4] Razzi says that the Life of St. Verdiana was written in Latin by Blessed Atto, Bishop of Pistoia, ^a compatriot of hers, and so also Ferrarius. But since both of them acknowledge, as does Ughelli, that Blessed Atto departed this life about the year 1153, was the Life written by Blessed Atto the Bishop? how can he have written her Life, if she died in 1222 or 1242? We received that Life in manuscript, bearing the name of Blessed Atto, translated into Italian by the Reverend Father Brother Girolamo Setini; and since we were unable to obtain the original, in the style of Atto himself (whoever finally that Atto was), or of another who wrote after the year of Christ 1407, we have translated it again from the Italian into Latin. We shall treat of Blessed Atto on the 22nd of May, on whom, for that day, see Ferrarius, Razzi in the Lives of Etruscan Saints, and Locatellus, book 2, chapter 15.

[5] other Lives by others. Others also wrote the Life of St. Verdiana: in Italian, Razzi in the Lives of Women Illustrious for Sanctity, and the same is found in his Lives of the Etruscan Saints; somewhat more briefly, Eudoxius Locatellus; in French, Francis Lahier in the Menology of Virgins; in Latin, Filippo Ferrarius in the Catalogue of Italian Saints, Luke Wadding in volume 1 of the Annals of the Friars Minor, at the year 1242, number 22, and Abraham Bzovius in volume 1 of his own Annals, at the year 1222, number 27.

Section II. The Private and Public Veneration of St. Verdiana.

[6] That an enormous concourse of peoples was customarily made to venerate her Relics, her sepulchre is visited, that votive offerings were hung, and that other marks of singular piety toward her were displayed, is clear from the things narrated in the Life and from what we have related on January 10 in the Life of Blessed Oringa, or Christiana, ^a Virgin who died in the year 1310. For in chapter 3, section 17, the following appears: by Blessed Oringa: "Christiana departed from the church and city of St. Francis and came to Castelfiorentino to honor Blessed Verdiana." This is expressed inaccurately by Cornelius Curtius in the other Life of Oringa, chapter 4, section 22: "Moreover," he says, "about to leave Assisi, she resolved to seek ^a place not obscure in the Elsa valley, Castelfiorentino, for the purpose of saluting Blessed Verdiana, who, having professed to live in conformity with the rules of the Vallombrosan Order, lived there, recluse from the sight of men." St. Verdiana died 18 years before Oringa was born, if she died in the year 1222; but if rather in 1242, certainly when Oringa was ^a child of two. How then is it that when Oringa came to her, she is said to have been living as ^a recluse, when she had long since been laid in the tomb?

[7] the church adorned with indulgences, The favor of the Supreme Pontiff and the Cardinals increased this devotion of the people, by an indulgence of penances granted to those who should gather at the church of St. Verdiana on certain feasts for the purpose of prayer. Razzi recalls this Indulgence, which he writes was granted by Julius II. There was extant in the MS codex which contained the Italian Life of the Saint, on this matter, ^a diploma of Julius II or of the Cardinals, which we give here.

Julius PP. II.

... of Ostia, George of Porto, Jerome of Sabina, Anthony of Praeneste, John Anthony ..., John Stephen, Cardinal Priest of the title of St. Vitalis, Dominic of the title of St. Mark, and Adrian of the title of St. Chrysogonus, by the Cardinals under Pius II. Priests, John of the title of St. Prisca, James of the title of St. Clement, Julian of St. Angelo, and also Amaneus, Deacon of St. Nicholas in carcere Tulliano -- Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church by the mercy of God -- to each and every one of the faithful of Christ who shall inspect the present letters, everlasting salvation in the Lord. The more frequently we lead the minds of the faithful to works of charity, the more salutarily we provide for the salvation of their souls. Desiring, therefore, that the church of St. Verdiana, which is ^a filial church of the parish church called the parish of St. Hippolytus of Castelfiorentino, diocese of ... (to which, as we have learned, our beloved sons in the Lord Master Francesco de' Attavanti, Notary of the Apostolic Chamber, and Girolamo also de' Attavanti his son, Rector of the said parish church, called the parish priest, bear ^a special devotion) be frequented with fitting honors and continually adorned by the faithful of Christ, and that the faithful of Christ themselves may the more willingly flock thither for the cause of devotion, and for its repair, preservation, maintenance, and protection -- that from this they may more abundantly behold there the gift of heavenly grace ... We the aforesaid Cardinals, that is, each one of us severally, inclined by the supplications of the aforesaid Francesco and Girolamo humbly offered to us on this matter, trusting in the authority of Almighty God, together with that of his Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, do relax for all and each of the faithful of Christ of both sexes, truly penitent and confessed, who shall devoutly visit annually the said filial church of St. Verdiana, on each of the feasts of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, on certain feasts, St. Barnabas the Apostle, St. Verdiana, and the dedication of the said filial church, from first vespers to second vespers inclusive, for each of the aforesaid feasts or days on which they shall have done so, one hundred days of 100 days: of the penances enjoined upon them, trusting in the Lord; the present letters to endure for all future times in perpetuity. In testimony whereof we have caused our present letters to be drawn up and fortified by the hanging of our seals. Given at Rome in our residences, in the year from the Nativity of the Lord one thousand five hundred and four, on the first day of the month of December, in the second year of the pontificate of the Most Holy Father and our Lord, Lord Julius, by divine providence Pope the Second.

[8] Clement VII added public veneration; for, as Ferrarius has it, "having examined her life and miracles ... he granted that she be venerated with an Ecclesiastical Office." The same is reported by Razzi, Bzovius, Lahier, and Arthur. We shall give the Brief of the Pontiff himself, from the same MS codex.

Clement PP. VII, To our beloved sons, greeting and Apostolic blessing. You have had it set forth to us that in this your town there is ^a certain oratory in which Blessed Verdiana, formerly your fellow-citizen, by the authority of Clement VII, led ^a life in praise of virginity, and after her death was illustrious for miracles, and continues to be illustrious day by day; and that therefore there is ^a frequent concourse and devotion of the faithful of Christ from all quarters to the said oratory. Wherefore you have had humble supplication made to us that we should deign to grant to you, that on the day of the death of the same Blessed Verdiana, which was the first day of February, and on which the same Blessed Verdiana, as is piously believed, exchanged earth for heaven, you may be able to have devoutly recited the Canonical Hours and Masses from the Common of Virgins, according to the custom of the Roman Curia, to the praise of God and the veneration of the same Verdiana -- for the preservation of your devotion and that of the same faithful of Christ. We, who cherish with paternal affection the devotion of all the faithful of Christ, inclined by these supplications, do grant to you by Apostolic authority, by the tenor of the present letters, that henceforth annually in perpetuity, in the said oratory only, on the same first day of February, you may be able freely and lawfully to have celebrated the Canonical Hours and Masses at ^a portable altar, her feast is celebrated with an Ecclesiastical Office and Mass: from the Common of Virgins according to the same custom of the Roman Curia, to the praise of God and in veneration of the same Verdiana -- notwithstanding any Apostolic Constitutions and Ordinances and anything else whatsoever to the contrary ... Given in the aforesaid town, under the Ring of the Fisherman, on the 20th day of September, 1533, in the tenth year of our pontificate.

[9] Her name has been inscribed in the Benedictine Martyrology of Arnold Wion in these words: her name inscribed in the Martyrology: "At Castelfiorentino, of St. Verdiana, ^a recluse, of the Order of Vallombrosa, illustrious for the glory of miracles and ^a prophetic spirit." Menardus has the same, except that he calls her Verdina. Benedict Dorganius: "Of St. Verdiana, ^a recluse, illustrious for ^a prophetic spirit and the glory of miracles." Ferrarius in the General Catalogue of Saints: "At Castelfiorentino in Etruria, of Blessed Virdiana, Virgin Recluse, of the Order of Vallombrosa." Arthur of the Monastery: "At Castelfiorentino in Etruria, of Blessed Veridiana, ^a Tertiary, notable for the worthy fruits of penance and the glory of miracles."

[10] In ^a certain recent MS of the Charterhouse of Brussels, on the 19th of June, the following appears: "The Translation of Veridiana, Virgin." What this Translation is, Translation: we have not discovered. I believe that St. Verdiana must be understood in Gonzaga, part 2, province of Tuscany, convent 31, where he writes thus: "The inhabitants of that place (Montaione, as we shall say from Arthur and others on May 1 in the Life of Blessed Vivaldus), she is venerated as Patroness at Montaione. erecting there in her honor ^a chapel, or rather ^a hermitage, conferred it upon the Observant Fathers of this province in the year 1499 as ^a dwelling; on the condition, however, that they should cause the images of the Saints Lawrence, Leonard, and Verdiana, whom they venerate as their special Patrons, to be painted in the church." Castelfiorentino is not far from Montaione, so it is not surprising that St. Verdiana is reckoned among the patron saints there as well.

[11] In the MS codex from which we received the Life of St. Verdiana, there was ^a hymn in her praise, which we shall give here.

Section III. HYMN FOR ST. VERDIANA.

Let the pious throng of heaven rejoice, Let them never cease to resound with worthy praises, Since on this day the Blessed Virgin triumphs In her merits. She marvels at the stars and the varied motions Of the constellations; beneath her lowest feet She beholds the clouds, reflecting eternal honors -- Verdiana. The pious Virgin spurned unworthy pride, Fleeing the pomps of the fleeting world: Joined only to serpents, she lived Beneath ^a humble roof. She subdued her body with many scourges, Suppressing the proud motions of the soul, Chaste, pursuing worthy manners Through every age. But when the eternal Father, Author of the world, Commands the threads of peace to be broken, The bells, with no one ringing them, Of their own accord disclose the death. The venerable Virgin of the eternal King Is borne into His bosom, clad about Her radiant shoulders with the sun, where, chosen, The Bride enjoys her Bridegroom. Look down, O Virgin, from the throne of Olympus, Upon the multitude that celebrates your praises, And as ^a Mother protect them with your pious prayers, Driving away all harm. Come forth to meet us, we pray, Extend your gracious hand to your servants; Open the threshold of the eternal Thunderer, Radiant Mother. Beat back more fiercely the motions of war; Let it now please you, blessed one, To protect the homeland from savage enemies With the fair gift of peace. We ask for favorable outcomes, We pray, O Virgin, grant them by your merits; May it profit us that you were once Among our homes, O divine one. Strengthen, O Virgin, the frail and failing, With gentle hand raise up the fallen, And ever, pious Mother, direct Our deeds on high. You, O Virgin, gracious in your prayers, obtain Whatever you ask from the supreme King; You heal grave diseases and the wounds Of ancient injury. Receive now, blessed Mother, The vows of the people rushing to you; the earth, From which you draw your lineage, wearies you with prayer -- Whence you approached the light of heaven. To the Father most high, and to the Son, be power, And to the Holy Spirit; God, the one Author, Who rules and governs all things by your nod, Conquering every age.

LIFE

Written in Latin by Bishop Atto, here translated from the Italian of Girolamo Setini.

Verdiana, Virgin, of Castelfiorentino in Etruria (Saint)

By Bishop Atto, from the Italian.

CHAPTER I

The Holy Youth of Verdiana. Pilgrimage to St. James.

[1] The most devout Virgin Verdiana was born at Castelfiorentino, ^a town in the territory and ^a diocese of Florence, of poor Verdiana, holy from her earliest age, but Catholic parents. While still ^a little girl, she avoided the company of other children, even of her own age, intent upon solitude, prayer, and abstinence. Admiration seized those who beheld her, when they observed that she did nothing childish, but all things beyond her years. The men and women of the town, therefore, having perceived such outstanding prudence and holy actions, diligently observed her character and manner of life, and freely provided what she needed for the sustenance of life. Not yet twelve years old, beautiful of face, humble in bearing, humble, studious of poverty, content with few and mean things, she bound her loins with an iron chain, which is still preserved and sometimes displayed with the greatest veneration in her church. Covered moreover with ^a most rough hair-shirt, devoted to harsh penance, she was constantly devoted, almost beyond what human weakness could bear, to vigils, prayers, and fasts. As for the guarding of herself, she was so divinely instructed that she never designated anything by word, deed, sign, or gesture that was wholly repugnant to her outstanding sanctity.

[2] When ^a certain kinsman of hers, ^a wealthy and noble man sprung from the illustrious Attavanti family, had carefully observed these things, he received her into his house, she governs the house of ^a wealthy man: to be the companion, guardian, and helper of his wife; and at his request he also imposed upon her the burden of managing the entire household. Not long afterward an immense want and famine oppressed the people. In the master's house there was ^a very large wooden vessel filled with legumes. When therefore this glorious Virgin, whose inmost being had been pervaded by piety and compassion for the needy, in time of famine she gives legumes to the poor: saw many mortals of both sexes tormented by famine in ^a terrible manner, by the impulse of the Divine Spirit she distributed all those legumes among the poor. Meanwhile her master sold them to ^a certain person and, having received the price, brought the buyer home. When he found the vessel empty, he began to shout and pour forth insults, the master being angry, to the great scandal of the household and the neighbors.

[3] All these things happened by the special providence of God, so that the lamp, still hidden under ^a bushel of humility, being as it were placed upon ^a candlestick, might shine far and wide with the true fame of outstanding sanctity; and that it might be made manifest even to men how great was her merit before God. When therefore everything in the house was in turmoil, full of uproar on account of the master's anger, the matter came to the knowledge of the humble handmaid of God; she obtains by prayer that they be divinely restored: who immediately gave herself to prayer with great confidence, and spent the entire night in it. The next day she found the chest, as before, full of beans. She summoned the master and warned him to abstain thenceforth from complaints, for Christ, who had received the beans, had restored them to him. And so it truly was. He, astonished by the miracle, revered Verdiana thereafter, and exclaimed no less then for joy than he had before for grief. The sanctity of Verdiana was celebrated far and wide through the province,

by that event it was established how great was her favor with God, she who imitated the admirable works of the ancient Saints -- ^b Jeremiah, ^c Elisha, ^d Benedict, ^e Fortunatus, and others. But Blessed Verdiana, after the example of her Bridegroom Christ Jesus, hated and fled from honor, abominated worldly glory, and, if it were at all possible, anxiously pondered flight from her homeland. When the citizens perceived this, they bore it very grievously. she wishes to flee elsewhere, lest she be honored:

[4] It happened by the will of God that certain ^f matrons undertook ^a pilgrimage to Galicia, to the sepulchre of the Apostle St. James. Verdiana gave herself to them as ^a companion. Here her fellow-citizens adjured her by God she sets out for St. James, to return to them as soon as possible. The Virgin having promised them this, after first expiating her sins by confession, receiving the Body of Christ as Viaticum, and fortified by His blessing, she set out on the journey. Throughout the whole way (a most remarkable thing) she remitted nothing of her accustomed vigils, and gives examples of charity, humility, and sanctity: prayers, and fasts. She rose very early in the morning with her companions, and because she burned with outstanding charity, she visited, whenever the occasion presented itself, the sick in hospitals and other pious places; and having comforted them with kind words, she exhorted them to patience by examples and acts of service, not by words alone. She showed herself cheerful and gracious to her companions and others at the lodging-houses, and indefatigable. She washed the feet of all and dried them with the utmost humility. In all matters and places she presented herself as the humble handmaid of Christ. Many of her fellow-citizens, even the leading ones, are said to have followed her journey for piety's sake; they diligently observed all her deeds and, upon returning, narrated them to their fellow-citizens.

CHAPTER II

Verdiana's Journey to Rome, Her Enclosure, the Austerity of Her Life.

[5] When she returned home, she was received with the greatest joy of all, when her people ask that she not go elsewhere, no differently than ^a treasure previously lost and found again. All were brimming with gladness, and besought her never again to depart from her homeland to any place. She, desiring to please Christ alone, not men, made one request of them: she asks that ^a cell be built for her: that at public expense they should build for her ^a little hermit's dwelling, in which she could live alone, separated from all human company and from worldly things, that as ^a pilgrim on earth she might, with the Apostle, have her conversation in heaven. Phil. 3:20. Which, with the favorable will of God, was done according to the Virgin's wish, and ^a cell was built for her across the river Elsa, ^a in ^a church formerly dedicated to St. Anthony. While this dwelling was being built for her, she did not interrupt any of her accustomed prayers, and resolved, she goes to Rome: before being enclosed in the cell, to travel to Rome and there to spend Lent. She therefore undertook the journey with an honorable company of pious matrons, doing the same things as on her former pilgrimage to St. James. When she reached Rome, she piously visited the sacred places and commended herself with all the affection of her soul to the merits of the Saints; she especially frequented the basilicas of SS. Peter and Paul, and in them devoted herself for very long periods to prayer and other holy activities. She gained for herself so great favor among pious people in the Holy City that they would not suffer her to return to her homeland. She is said to have remained there for three years, she stays there for three years: not without the wonder and grief of her fellow-citizens, who feared she would not return and that such ^a protection would not be restored to them. At length, by divine prompting, having departed the City somewhat secretly, she returned to her homeland, and was received with the public exultation of her people.

[6] When the cell which she desired to inhabit was now completed, on the appointed day she came to the church of the town; there, having confessed her sins and received the Eucharist, before the parish priest ^b she vowed to God and to the parish priest himself her obedience. He blessed the habit and the veil invested with the sacred veil, with which he then clothed her, and entrusted her to ^a certain Canon of the same Church, elected for this purpose by the whole College of Canons, to be led to the prepared dwelling. She herself made her way there, carrying ^a Cross in her arms, with the entire Clergy and people accompanying her. ^c About to enter, she asked those present to offer prayers to God on her behalf; they in turn adjured her to pray for them. she is enclosed in the cell, When she had entered, the entrance was blocked with ^a wall built up, leaving only ^a tiny window. That cell still exists, but changed into ^a chapel; I myself saw it as ^a boy with my own eyes. With what zeal she renewed that ancient fervor of the Egyptian Fathers, and lives holily in it, it will be better not to explain by telling, lest certain incredulous persons accuse me of excessive credulity -- since they did not even spare the Apostle Paul himself, his rival, thinking him to be ^a disciple of Ananias, by whom he had been cleansed in baptism, and not of Christ, by whom he had been called and made ^a partaker of heavenly treasures; concerning which he himself declares that the natural man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God. 1 Cor. 2:14. Let no one doubt, however, that the most ample things can be said by us most truly of this Virgin.

[7] Enclosed in that cell, Verdiana, still in the bloom of youth and of comely appearance, always abstaining from wine, in order more freely to devote herself to God and to the contemplation of sacred things, abstained from wine in perpetuity; and knowing well enough that nature is content with little, she took her allotted food only once ^a day, at sunset, more to sustain nature using frugal food: than to seek pleasure. She lay on the bare ground, in winter placing ^a board beneath her; her pillow was ^a rough block of wood. With an iron chain, as has been written above, she bound her bare body, over which she put on ^a most rough hair-shirt; she was always intent upon vigils, fasts, and prayer. When she heard Mass or herself recited the Divine Office, her mind was continually caught up into God. she is often enraptured: She diligently avoided idleness, lest the ancient serpent, who from the very beginning lies in wait for the woman's heel, should claim even ^a moment of time in her life and conduct for himself. If she committed, or had previously committed, any slight faults, she confessed them every week with tears to the Priest assigned to her, and as if guilty of grave offenses, she fulfilled the penance enjoined by him with weeping and lamentation.

[8] Those who knew her report that by ^a special favor of God she obtained an abundance of tears, meditating, she weeps: whether she was attentively meditating on the Passion of Christ, or reflecting that the enjoyment of the heavenly kingdom and of God was being deferred for her, or, finally, beholding the afflictions of the wretched, for whom she felt the deepest compassion. She loved poverty above all things, and stripped herself not only of superfluous things, she cultivates poverty, but, as far as the weakness of nature could bear, also of necessities, that she might become as perfectly as possible like her Bridegroom. She wished to possess absolutely nothing, nor to retain for herself anything beyond the most sparing food; if anything was left over from the alms bestowed upon her, she dispensed it all to the poor who came to her. Of her outer garment I say nothing; covered with ^a hair-shirt and ^a vile garment: it was of the vilest cloth that could then be found. She was in no way anxious for the morrow, according to the Gospel precept; for all the affection of her soul was in heaven, not on earth. Matt. 6:34.

[9] In this manner she lived for thirty-four years, known to God alone; her face was never seen by any man, nor she any man's. She herself rarely spoke to people, lest her mind be called away from the sweetness of accustomed contemplation. Yet if any came to her she speaks rarely, and only of God, and to console the sorrowful: for the sake of spiritual fruit and edification, the grace of the Holy Spirit, of which her soul was full, shone forth wondrously in her words -- as out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If anyone came to her sorrowful, or pressed by some need, or disturbed for any other reason, he would depart filled with such consolation that he himself marveled. Sometimes for two or three days she would give no reply to anyone calling upon her, all being astonished at her patience. at certain times she maintains continuous silence. It is believed that at such times she was absorbed in the contemplation of divine things and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. During Lent, Advent, from the Ascension of the Lord to the Octave of Pentecost, on the day of the Assumption of the Mother of God and through the Octave, she very rarely answered anyone.

CHAPTER III

The Cohabitation of Verdiana and the Serpents.

[10] When ^a certain Priest was preaching to the people in the church of St. Anthony and relating that St. Anthony had suffered many things at the hands of demons who had put on the various forms of brute animals, and had also been vexed by the importunity of men, Verdiana, stirred by the grace of the Holy Spirit, besought the Divine mercy with many prayers after the example of St. Anthony, she prays that she may suffer: that He would grant her such ^a companionship, by which she might both increase her merits and, by enduring something harsh and even martyrdom itself, advance the glory of God and attain ^a fuller crown of her patience. Divine Providence did not allow those prayers to go unanswered.

[11] About two years after she had been enclosed in that cell, when her prayer had been offered to and approved by the Divine sight, behold, two horrible serpents, both of equal size, entered her cell through the little window. Verdiana shuddered, uncertain of counsel, knowing as she did that the serpent is an animal familiar to the devil. two serpents cohabit with her, But signing herself with the Cross, she acquiesced in the divine will and gave herself to prayer. Recognizing here ^a divine visitation, she sought and procured no human aid. The serpents remained there for ^a long space of time, day and night; and whenever they went out, they soon returned again; and eat with her, nor were they ever absent at the time when the Virgin was accustomed to take her food, eating with her from the same dish in which she had bread soaked in water, or lettuce or vegetables, without any seasoning of oil or salt. and beat her: But if anything was lacking to the savage guests, they would beat her with their tails so cruelly that the handmaid of God was sometimes unable to rise from the ground for ^a space of eight days. ^a But when she called to mind the various torments of the Martyrs, she felt her patience strengthened in the Lord, and the weaker she was in body, the stronger she was in spirit.

[12] Meanwhile the fame ^b of her sanctity reached the ears of Ardingus, Bishop of Florence, ^a Doctor of Theology. He visited her, and, being ^a pious man, conversed with her for many days on spiritual matters, with great pleasure of mind. But when he learned of that grim companionship with the serpents -- whether because he had seen them going out or coming in, she begs the Bishop not to have them driven away: or because the most innocent Virgin, compelled by his command, had disclosed the entire course of events and how long they had been dwelling with her -- he was astonished by the novelty of the matter and resolved to expel them by means of the country people. When Verdiana perceived this, she secretly adjured him by the name of God not to deprive her of that fruitful companionship. The pious Bishop yielded to her entreaties, and so followed the Virgin with such charity that he visited her every year as long as he lived. The neighbors indeed saw the same serpents from time to time, but neglected to inquire whence they had come or whither they were going; for they did not suspect that they were Verdiana's guests.

[13] When ^a Legate of the Pontiff was passing through there (for the church was situated beside ^a public road) with ^a vast multitude of people, certain men of his retinue attempted to kill those serpents she heals them when injured: and cut off ^a goodly portion of the tail of each. They immediately fled into the cell, leaving the severed portion in public, and took refuge with their nurse, ^c and by her touch were not only healed but made whole again. But thereafter, in the manner of serpents, they raged against her far more cruelly than before, while she endured everything with greater patience than before.

[14] After thirty years and more, it began to become known to the neighboring inhabitants, although against the Virgin's will, that the serpents dwelt with her; they had seen them going out of the cell and returning as they waited for an opportunity to meet with her, although she had disclosed it to certain more intimate friends. when one was killed by the neighbors and the other put to flight, she grieves: The neighbors, therefore, fearing lest the serpents should cause the Virgin some harm, having observed the hour at which they were accustomed to enter, when they came out again, they killed one without Verdiana's knowledge and put the other to flight, so that it was never seen again by anyone thereafter. This displeased the Virgin, who was bereaved of the material for so great ^a merit and of the companionship divinely granted to her. about to die, she reveals what she had suffered from them. Not long afterward, by ^a special impulse of the Holy Spirit, she perceived that her death was approaching; and at the request of many, especially of her Confessor, she disclosed how long she had enjoyed their company, and what she had suffered from them. Because her faith suffered no loss from this fame, it came about by divine Providence that her virtues were celebrated far and wide throughout the whole region. The Virgin also began, by God's gift, to become illustrious through very many miracles.

CHAPTER IV

Miracles of St. Verdiana during Her Lifetime.

[15] When ^a certain young man of medium stature and age was in the church of St. Anthony during the summer, Verdiana asked him to fill ^a clay vessel for her with water from the well, which still stands near the public road. He obeyed, hastened to the well, ^a drew water, and offered it to the Virgin. Immediately it was changed into wine; seeing which, Verdiana, thinking that he had piously wished to deceive her, said: the water turned into wine for her, "May God forgive you, my son. It was water I needed, not wine." He, astonished, said: "Dearest Lady Mother" (for so they commonly addressed her), "I know for certain that I drew water from the well, not wine." She said: "Look, and see whether it be water or wine," and handed the same vessel back to him through the little window. He examined the color, the odor, and the taste, and found that the water had been turned into the finest wine. She asked for the vessel back; he refused to return it, and at the same time rushed out of the church and told everyone the miracle, even those coming from the village of Timiniano, which is under the same town, flocking to the spectacle of this extraordinary event.

[16] At length, ^b by the advice of the Magistrate of the Florentine Republic, of the parish priest, and of others, the vessel was carried into the town, and inquiry was made into the truth of the matter. The young man firmly declared that he had brought to the Saint water drawn from the well, not wine; all marveled at the unusual strength and odor of the wine, and each one considered himself blessed who could obtain even ^a tiny drop. by which the sick were healed: Such was the devotion of faith in some that many sick persons are said to have been healed when they had tasted ^a small amount of that wine. This matter caused great annoyance to Verdiana, who spurned all human honor and praise, and thereafter she gave answers to those who consulted her rarely and with difficulty. I believe she wished to imitate the deed of that holy anchorite who could be seen by men only two or three times at most, judging those unworthy of angelic conversation who delighted in the company of men. when the matter was publicized, she answers less frequently:

[17] As ^a certain farmer was going out to his fieldwork, his beast of burden fell, threw off its load, and severely injured the farmer's son who was riding it, fracturing his arm and ^c knee. At his sudden cries and wailing, his grieving parents rushed to him -- the son who was now believed not long to survive. Others came upon the scene, as happens, and some urged them to bring their son before St. Verdiana and ask her she heals ^a severely injured boy by her touch: to pray to God on his behalf. They immediately hastened to the Virgin; they knocked at the window of the cell in the customary manner. But when for ^a long time they heard no response, stricken with the most grievous pain and overcome by weariness, they hesitated, uncertain whether to leave without help or to wait still longer. At last the mother held out her little son to her through the window; when the Saint touched him, he suddenly changed his weeping to laughter, and began to testify his joy by his bearing and other signs, and said: "I am well!" The astonished parents examined him carefully, found him perfectly sound and whole, and giving thanks to God, returned to their home.

[18] Another woman had long suffered from her eyes, and then, having become blind, upon hearing the fame of Verdiana, she went to her, set forth her calamity, and adjured her by the love of God to bring her aid. But the Virgin, having exhorted her with many holy arguments to bear that affliction, at length handed her ^a branch of palm, she restores sight to ^a blind woman by ^a blessed palm branch: which her Confessor had brought her on Palm Sunday. "Behold, dearest one," she said, "what I can now give you; for I have nothing else at all." The woman kissed this branch with great eagerness of soul and piety and applied it to her eyes; and (wondrous to tell!) at its first touch her eyes suddenly received their sight. Having therefore given thanks to God and the Saint, she returned home, repeating again and again: "God is wonderful in His Saints."

CHAPTER V

The Death of St. Verdiana, Illustrated by Miracles.

[19] At length, as the goal of her pilgrimage approached, she devoted herself to prayer with more than her usual fervor and frequency, and pouring forth ^a flood of tears, she applied herself to divine works. For when she had spent thirty-four ^a years in that narrow cell, she was at last taught from heaven she learns divinely the day of her death: on what day she was to depart this life. She thereafter wished to hold no further conversation with any mortal; but having summoned her Confessor to her in good time, she confesses and receives the Eucharist: with such sorrow of soul and such an abundance of tears she washed away all the stains of her soul through confession, as if she had committed enormous sins. Having completed her confession, she demanded that the most sacred Body of Christ be imparted to her; but before she received it, she poured forth longer prayers than usual before the Priest, at which he marveled and asked why she had indulged in prayer longer than her custom. Having received the Eucharist, she closed the window, bent her knees, and opening the psalter, devoutly chanted the seven penitential psalms. She had reached the psalm "Miserere mei Deus"; while reading the Penitential Psalms she dies whether she completed it is uncertain; the book was found open at that psalm. She herself, with her eyes and hands raised to heaven, just as she was, resting upon her knees, returned her soul to God.

[20] Her most happy passing occurred in the year from the birth of Christ 1242, on February 1. on the very Kalends of February. Although this was still unknown to mortals, by how great merits of virtue she was distinguished, and with what triumph and exultation her soul was borne to the heavenly Jerusalem, was declared by manifest signs and by the customary proofs of public solemnity with which the Church Militant is familiar. For in the church of St. Hippolytus the Martyr there are three bells the bells ring of their own accord, which, when struck together, produce ^a most sweet harmony. An astonishing thing: at the very moment when Verdiana died, with no one ringing them, they sounded of their own accord in ^a wonderful manner. All were immediately amazed, since such ^a sound was demanded neither at that hour of the day nor by any occasion commonly known; men and women therefore flocked to the church, and saw that the peal was not being produced by anyone. All stood astonished at the miracle; certain young men, led by bold curiosity, attempted to stop the bells. But in vain do human powers strive against the divine will and angelic ministry; nor can they be stopped: for it seemed to them that their arms were being wrenched from their bodies by the violent impact of the bells as they were thrown down. The sound of the bells was not such as is customarily employed at funerals or on ordinary working days, but as is customary on public festivals. It is said to have lasted until the body of the holy Virgin was found, or (as I find reported by many, and which is more like the truth) throughout the entire day on which she died and the following night.

[21] Afterwards, by the prompting of God, who is accustomed to honor His Saints while they are still pilgrims among mortals on earth, some time after the Eucharist had been given to Verdiana, hence her death being known, the memory of what she had done on that last occasion contrary to her custom came to the Confessor, and he related it to many. All burst forth into this exclamation: "Truly, truly, that sign was produced by God for the reason that He has summoned our glorious Mother to Himself." All came together as quickly as possible at the church of St. Anthony, in ^a corner of which Verdiana's cell was situated. and from the voice of an infant, It is further related that ^a little child, not yet capable of speech, still carried in his mother's arms, clearly pronounced these words: "The handmaid of God, Verdiana, is dead." The commotion of popular fame, already begun, increased and stirred up still more people. When they came to the cell, they knocked at the window in the customary manner. Since no response was given, as had been customary before, the cell is broken open: the wall was broken through and an entrance opened. First to enter, weeping, was her Confessor, then the other Priests and other religious men, all struck with fear. Beholding the body erect upon its knees, they supposed that she had been carried away in an ecstasy. But when they observed neither her customary sighs nor any other sign of life, they understood at last that she had departed this life.

[22] She stood resting on her knees, with her eyes and hands raised on high, in the manner of one praying; ^b from which posture some conjectured [in what position she died, having perhaps beheld the Angels, without any preceding illness.] that holy Angels had appeared to her at the very moment of her soul's departure, to lead her into heaven. That posture was likewise evidence that she had been oppressed by no illness on account of which she would have needed to lie down. We read that Saints Martin, Basil, Gregory, Augustine, Ambrose, and many others of outstanding virtue were nevertheless seized by some illness before they departed this life; indeed we shall scarcely find even ^a few, and perhaps not even one, apart from Martyrs, who did not die from some bodily infirmity and pain -- unless perchance it was granted by some singular privilege to certain persons of altogether extraordinary sanctity that they should depart free from all affliction; which was divinely granted to the Virgin Mother of God, and to SS. Severus, Bishop of Ravenna, Petronilla, daughter of the Apostle Peter, ^c John the Evangelist, and certain others.

CHAPTER VI

The Funeral of St. Verdiana Arranged, Not without Miracles.

[23] When it became publicly known that Verdiana had died, all were filled with ^a certain immense joy and grief at once; for they could not but grieve exceedingly, seeing themselves deprived of so great ^a spiritual consolation and the guidance of her who had perpetually taught them what they ought to do for the glory of God and the salvation of their souls. Yet they exulted with gladness when they recalled that ^a new advocate had been prepared for them before the supreme Judge. Then, by the counsel of the leading men, the men were ordered to withdraw from the cell, and the more respectable matrons to enter and compose the sacred body of the glorious Virgin. While they performed this, the body composed by matrons, they found an iron chain pressed against her bare body, and ^a hair-shirt in the manner of an undergarment, which she had perpetually worn; then ^a single woolen garment put on over these, very coarse and rough. The cell was entirely devoid of all furnishing -- so that from this alone one might conjecture how greatly the Virgin had been devoted to the contemplation of divine things, since she had neither possessed nor desired anything of earthly goods.

[24] When, therefore, the sacred body had been washed and composed by the hands of these matrons and decently wrapped, according to the conditions of place and time, [placed in the church, it breathes forth ^a sweet odor, and remains long incorrupt:] it was brought out and placed in the church. Then indeed it was found not to exhale the stench of other corpses, but an odor of wondrous sweetness, which all perceived for ^a eighteen days; for it remained unburied there for that length of time. Who could describe the abundance of lights? Who could relate the multitude of people flowing thither? The fame of so great an event was immediately spread throughout the whole province and the neighboring regions; very many flock together, stirred by it, they brought with them their entire households, even their little children placed upon beasts of burden -- all as if forgetful of their domestic affairs, their agriculture, and venerate it: their flocks, their trades. Nor was anything done there except to kiss the sacred body, to stand about it piously, and to hold burning lights in their hands. Nor did only the inhabitants on both sides of the river Elsa come together; but very many are said to have come from Florence, Pisa, Siena, Volterra, ^b and other cities, even more distant ones.

[25] Many miracles were wrought through the merits of this holy Virgin; miracles performed: but through the negligence of our forebears not all were committed to writing. I shall recall ^a few which have come down to us, either through the gratitude of those to whom they had been ^a benefit, or because they were more illustrious in their own kind.

[26] A noble matron named Berta had suffered from leprosy for ^a long time, and out of shame and horror of the disease she would not set foot outside her house. a leper healed: But when she heard the unusual sound of bells and the commotion of the converging multitude and learned the cause of these things, she could not restrain herself from setting aside her shame and visiting the body of that glorious Virgin. She reverently implored her aid, and having kissed her body with great faith and piety, she was immediately freed of all leprosy. She gave great thanks to God together with those present, and returning home, she never forgot her liberator, but strove thereafter in every way she could to increase her honor.

[27] Another woman, having heard of the prodigies that were taking place, was led by pious curiosity to hasten to visit and venerate the body of the Virgin, leaving behind ^a blazing fire which she had kindled at home. And when she had lingered for some time in the church, astonished by the novelty of the miracles that were continually occurring, she recalled the fire she had lit and the little son she had left in the house, and anxious lest what had indeed happened had occurred, fearing no less the danger to her little son than the anger of her husband, she piously implored the aid of holy Mother Verdiana. a boy unharmed in fire: Returning home swiftly, she found the little boy in the midst of the flames, untouched and even exulting. She shed no fewer tears from the immense joy that suddenly seized her than she would have shed from grief if anything had happened to her son, and she began to cry out loudly. Many, roused by her cries, rushed into the house, beheld the miracle themselves, and praising God in His Saint, drew the unharmed boy from the midst of the flames. That miracle is said to have occurred in the town of Timiniano.

[28] At length the leading citizens took counsel about burying the body of the Virgin; and having broken open the cell she had inhabited, they erected there ^a new chapel the sepulchre of St. Verdiana, and set up an altar, expanding the church on that side. There the body of Verdiana was entombed, continually exhaling ^a most sweet odor. Although, when the church was later enlarged, that chapel was destroyed, the altar, nevertheless the altar still stands in the same place, because the Virgin is remembered to have died there. The church itself was thenceforth called St. Verdiana's, the church: which had previously been dedicated to St. Anthony -- namely him who, after St. Paul the first Hermit, is rightly considered the leader of the anchoritic life. He, in Thebes, ^d that most celebrated city of Egypt, having built hermit cells, instituted that manner of life; our Virgin in Italy, although she did not inhabit ^a desert, nevertheless led ^a solitary life in the manner of the Hermits, confirmed by miracles from God.

[29] With the body of the Virgin buried in this manner within that chapel, ^a certain pious woman contributed ^a revenue from her own means so that ^a lamp might burn perpetually before it. a lamp neither broken nor overturned by its fall: But Satan did not omit his customary arts by which he is accustomed to disturb what is done for the honor of God and the Saints. On ^a certain occasion, therefore, that lamp fell; but to the greater shame and disgrace of the most wicked demon, contrary to the nature of its form, it remained standing upright, nor was it shattered, although it was made of glass, nor was the oil spilled, nor was even the light extinguished, although it had fallen from ^a rather high place. The entire people were witnesses to the miracle; for the lamp remained for ^a long time standing upright on the ground, just as it had fallen.

[30] I have heard from trustworthy men, who asserted that they had learned it from the accounts of their elders, that it was customary on the feast of St. Verdiana, which is celebrated on the Kalends of February, others burning for ^a very long time without new oil: to bring lit lamps before her altar, which would burn for ^a very long time without new oil being added or ^a new wick being applied.

CHAPTER VII

Miracles in the Church of St. Verdiana.

[31] A Roman soldier, celebrated for his skill in handling weapons, received ^a severe wound in the thigh in ^a certain engagement, the point being so deeply embedded in the bone that it could not be extracted by any physician's art in an entire year. When he felt that death was threatening him, but had heard the fame of Verdiana and how great were the benefits divinely conferred upon those who visited her sepulchre, he vowed that he too would go there and offer gifts to the Saint. He had scarcely made his vow when he felt himself improving, a wound suddenly healed, the iron violently ejected and fixed in the wall: and soon set out on his journey. When he arrived and approached the altar of St. Verdiana -- ^a wondrous thing! what human art cannot accomplish, divine power effects -- the iron suddenly withdrew from the wound and rebounded with such force into the wall of the church, which faces the cemetery and the north, that, as ^a testimony to the miracle, it remained fixed in that wall for ^a long time afterward. Having recovered his health and given thanks to God and the Saint and offered many gifts, the soldier returned joyfully to his homeland -- he who had departed in sorrow. I have often heard it related, and it is the common report there, that it was at that soldier's expense that the image of St. Verdiana was painted on ^a panel, which is still seen, and engraved in bronze. the image of St. Verdiana painted and engraved:

[32] There was in that district ^a widow who, since she took no care to restrain the impulses of her anger, arrived at so wretched ^a habit that on ^a certain occasion, angered at her son, who was quite young, among other savage and blasphemous words, a boy, by his mother's curse, seized by ^a demon, she burst into these words: "May the Devil snatch this son of mine to hell, that I may never again see him with these eyes!" She had scarcely uttered these words when the boy was snatched from sight, and was heard wailing; yet where he was carried, no one knew. The unhappy mother, deranged with horror, fear, and grief, began to utter terrible cries. Neighbors and very many others flocked to the spectacle; and after ^a mournful tumult, as befitted such an event and occasion, by unanimous counsel they hastened to the sepulchre of Blessed Verdiana, with grief and lamentation, especially that of the wretched mother. All joined in prayer that pardon for the sin might be granted from heaven and that the son, wrested from the demon, might be restored. he is restored unharmed, Not long after, when ^a greater crowd of people had assembled and all persisted in prayer, with God appeased through the prayers of Verdiana, they beheld the boy before the altar of the Virgin, entirely unharmed. All gave thanks to God and to holy Verdiana. The same woman related that on the following night (whether sleeping or waking, she could not say) she seemed to behold by St. Verdiana, with the sign of the Cross, the demon is repelled: her son being dragged by his feet down the stairs by the demon, then being held back by St. Verdiana; and when both pulled with great effort, the Saint at last impressed the sign of the Cross upon the boy, at which the demon was put to flight, and the boy remained safe and unharmed.

[33] At Genoa ^a certain venerable matron fell into ^a grave illness, by which, after long struggle, her limbs were so contracted that she could no longer use them. Persisting in this condition for ^a long time, she constantly prayed God to bring her aid. a sick woman, by heavenly admonition, visits the sepulchre of St. Verdiana: On the vigil of Blessed Verdiana, she seemed in her sleep to hear ^a voice proclaiming these words: "If you wish to be healed, go and visit the body of St. Verdiana." Having spoken these words, the voice fell silent. She, having awakened, summoned the entire household and set forth the course of events; but no one could explain to her who or where St. Verdiana was. When day broke, she had inquiries made throughout the city as to whether anyone knew of Verdiana. At length Florentine merchants were found who indicated the place where the body of that holy woman rested. She, with firm hope of recovering her health, made her way thither by sea; having landed first at the Port of Pisa, she was then conveyed to Castelfiorentino, where, having prayed for some time before the altar of St. Verdiana, she obtained complete health. she is healed, She, considering the magnitude of the favor, donated ^a great quantity of excellent woolen cloth and other items for adorning the altar of the Saint, she bestows offerings: and returned joyfully to her homeland. Nor is it doubtful that, thenceforth mindful of her liberator, she always venerated her with great reverence.

[34] At Florence ^a certain gardener, weary from long labor, was resting and sleeping beneath ^a tree with his mouth open; into this ^a serpent crept. He, feeling his intestines being disturbed, a serpent entered the mouth of the sleeping man, awoke and cried out horribly, especially after his body then began to swell. Various remedies devised by physicians were in vain. At length, persuaded by many, he began to invoke St. Verdiana along with them and to implore her aid in this his necessity. After many vows and prayers, it was decided that he should be carried to the church of St. Verdiana and placed before her altar. Very many, moved by compassion, flocked to the spectacle. As soon as he entered the church, he suddenly ceased his cries and disordered expressions of pain; when he stood before the altar of the Saint, inclining himself, he opened his mouth, the serpent is vomited forth before the altar of the Saint, from which the serpent burst forth, bespattered with blood and matter. Health returned to the man, so that he seemed to have enjoyed better health from that time than in all his previous life.

[35] Very heavy rains had fallen throughout all Etruria, and the rivers, overflowing their banks, inundated everything far and wide. The Elsa especially, which flows not far from the church of St. Verdiana, having swollen in ^a wondrous manner from the rains, had covered all the ground of that town with water, and had even surrounded the very church of St. Verdiana; when the river floods, the waters do not enter her church: indeed, the water already exceeded the threshold of its open doors by the height of several feet. Yet not ^a single drop flowed into the church, although the church of the Friars Minor, situated opposite, had been pervaded by water to ^a considerable depth. God wished to renew ancient miracles and to show mortals that she was of no less merit in the sight of His Divine Majesty than St. Zeno, Bishop of Verona, had once been, in whose basilica ^{b a} similar miracle was once wrought, as St. Gregory records. Dialogues 3, chapter 19.

[36] A similar prodigy is said to have been observed in ^a great inundation of waters which occurred not long after the great mortality of the year 1348, and likewise on other occasions. which my father remembered, and many other old men, who afterwards related what they had seen with their own eyes at that time. Then the church of St. James, which was situated beside the bridge of the same town on the right, was destroyed. For the river had then so overflowed that the roof of the mill of St. Verdiana was carried away to the ditches of the town and overturned there, as also were other buildings here and there in the Florentine countryside, in the district of the Verginian tract, at Pisa, and at Florence. Yet no water flowed into the aforementioned church, situated much lower than the others.

CHAPTER VIII

Various Cures through the Aid of St. Verdiana.

[37] A certain Hungarian grain prefect, named John, had his shin injured in combat, and although many medicines were applied, it could not be so healed but that he both limped and an iron arrowhead remained lodged in the wound, from which copious matter continually flowed. This affliction lasted, as was certainly proved, for five years. iron lodged in ^a wound for five years, ejected, Having subsequently been made superintendent of grain for the Florentines, when he heard many illustrious miracles of St. Verdiana recounted, he very devoutly implored her aid on many occasions, visited her church, and offered gifts. One day, returning home, he perceived ^a certain itching at the very place of the wound; pulling back his legging and the bandages, he rubbed his shin lightly, and suddenly -- not without his own amazement and that of his companions -- the iron came forth from the wound of its own accord, without any pain, the scar removed: and (what is truly wondrous) not even ^a scar of the wound appeared upon his shin. Wherefore, having given thanks and offered gifts to the Saint, he returned to his own home.

[38] A certain woman named Landina, oppressed by ^a severe and prolonged infirmity and so hideously contracted that she could neither stand upon her feet nor use her arms or hands nor walk, a contracted woman healed: nor even take food by herself, had spent much on physicians and medicines, yet had experienced no remedy. Doubtless God had reserved her cure for His Saint. At length, placing all hope in God and holy Verdiana, she had herself carried to her tomb; there with tears she besought aid from God and His handmaid. The end of her prayer was also the end of her pain and the contraction of her limbs. For when she had felt ^a certain noise and movement in nearly all her bones, she suddenly arose sound and free, so that she seemed thenceforth to have acquired much greater and firmer strength than before. She gave thanks to God and the holy Virgin and returned home.

[39] A certain Florentine citizen, while serving as magistrate of Castelfiorentino, suffered from ^a very severe hernia, so that all his intestines seemed to be falling out. hernia cured: But when he saw the miracles that were daily wrought by divine power through the merits of St. Verdiana, he visited her sacred body; having made his vows, he recovered complete health, and gave thanks to God and to Verdiana.

[40] What her power was for expelling the most wicked demons from human bodies -- which the unlearned populace believes to be souls separated from bodies -- demoniacs freed, can be proved by as many testimonies as there were and are people in that province. I shall bring forward ^a single example.

[41] A demoniac, carried on ^a beast of burden but tied to it on account of his violent movements, came to the sepulchre of the Saint. There, by ^a Priest (they called him, unless my memory fails, Antonius of Bagnolese), compelled by sacred words with an invocation of Verdiana's merits to depart from the body he had wickedly possessed, one demon, having in token wrenched off and shattered ^a roof-tile: he at last promised that he would depart; as ^a sign, he said, ^a tile would be torn from the roof and hurled far away. Nor did the father of lies deceive on that occasion: for he departed, and at that same moment there was such ^a great commotion and crash that fear seized all, lest the church should perhaps collapse from an earthquake. But one tile was hurled with such force against ^a certain tomb in the cemetery that it shattered into the tiniest fragments in every direction, with not ^a few of the people watching. Thus that man was freed through the merits of St. Verdiana.

[42] As internal hatreds, as commonly happens, spread among the people of that region, the factions on both sides came to arms. A certain man received ^a grievous wound to the head, so that ^a fragment of the sword also remained fixed in his skull, and he was believed to be on the very point of expiring. a lethal wound suddenly healed: His household commended him with assiduous prayers to St. Verdiana, to whom they were very devoted. At night, between sleep and waking, oppressed by heavy grief, he saw an honorable matron dressed in white walking about the chamber, and especially around the bed in which he himself lay, going now here, now there, praying, and gazing upon the sick man with fixed eyes; and he seemed to himself to hear her saying: "Behold me." And suddenly he felt the iron fixed in his head being moved, not without great pain. Then, fully awakened, he roused all the household with his cry and narrated the vision. They, full of wonder, undid the bandages on his head and saw the iron cast out from the wound. He recovered within ^a few days and lived many years afterward.

CHAPTER IX

Miracles of St. Verdiana, of Which the Author Was an Eyewitness.

[43] When I was very young, ^a grave illness had confined my father to his bed, so that he could take no food at all. As many weeks passed, he seemed to be tending toward death. My mother grieved that she was being left with ^a large and still tender brood of children, the Author's father freed from ^a dangerous illness: entangled in the accounts of merchandise and money owed to her and which she herself owed. When I heard this, on my own initiative -- or rather by God's impulse -- I went to the altar of St. Verdiana. I remember even now that I bought and lit candles, poured forth prayers, and commended my father to the Saint. Returning home, I found him sitting up in bed and taking food; and having shortly obtained full health, he survived for thirty-five years.

[44] When my own brother was ill, after vows had been made to St. Verdiana, likewise his brother: they judged that, for the sake of drawing fresh air, he should be conveyed to Castelfiorentino. But when he had reached the inn called "Little Oak," five miles from Florence, he was forced to stop on account of excessive weakness. He was carried into ^a chamber, where, when he already seemed about to breathe his last, having suffered ^a failure of strength with his eyes already sinking, my mother, who was then present, cried out with tears in ^a loud voice: "St. Verdiana, come to his aid!" Immediately he came to himself and recovered his strength.

[45] At about the same time, while I was standing in the doorway of our shop, ^a certain woman born in the same district had been possessed by ^a demon in punishment for her sins, and, placed upon ^a beast of burden, was being led through that square by her people to the church of St. Verdiana, crying out repeatedly along the whole way: "Alas for me! Alas for me!" Some were playing in the square, of whom one, named Juniper, the brother of Hippolytus Bartolini, answered ^a second and third time: "You there, give yourself over to God." But the demon replied: "I have her; I have her." When she had arrived at the church of St. Verdiana, a demoniac woman who had consulted ^a sorceress is suffocated by the demon: and her companions wished to lift her from the beast of burden to the ground in order to lead her before the altar of the Saint, because she had previously (as the rumor went) had recourse to the tricks of ^a certain sorceress, she was suddenly suffocated by the devil. All were struck by the extraordinary event. I was present, and saw everything with my own eyes, as did many others; which I have judged should be recorded here as ^a warning to others.

[46] When in the year 1407 I was preaching at Fano ^a in the Marches, in the Cathedral basilica, I was asked to pour forth prayers to God for ^a certain honorable matron named Petra, a sick woman healed through the aid of St. Verdiana the wife of Simon Bertius, who was afflicted by ^a difficult illness and had already been given up by the physicians, and also to visit her. I willingly performed both; and I counseled both her and those present to implore the aid of St. Verdiana, although she was then unknown in those parts. The prayers were not in vain. Health was immediately restored to her, and she hung ^a painted image of St. Verdiana on ^a panel in the church of St. Dominic.

[47] Albert de Francis, dwelling in the Florentine territory near the borders of Siena, was accused of ^a capital crime and placed in custody by an edict of the Florentine Republic. But since he could not be convicted of the alleged crime, torture was applied, by the cruelty of which he confessed to ^a crime which he had nevertheless not committed, and he was condemned to death. Two monks were brought to the prison falsely condemned for ^a crime, to exhort him to meet his death in ^a Christian manner. He first very devoutly implored the aid of St. Verdiana; then he took ^a little rest, and between sleep and waking the Saint appeared to him in the honorable habit in which she is usually depicted, and addressed him thus: "Albert, why do you fear? Why do you doubt? Trust in divine mercy." Having spoken these words, she vanished from his sight. He reported the vision to the monks. The next day he was brought before the people in the usual manner; the proceedings were read out publicly. freed through the aid of St. Verdiana. While this was happening, he invoked the name of God and commended himself to His mercy. Then indeed, although the sky had previously been perfectly clear and calm, suddenly ^a very great and entirely unusual storm and violent whirlwind arose, which snatched from the notary's hands the document on which his entire case and sentence had been recorded; nor could it ever be recovered, although very many strove to pursue and seize it. All cried out together: "A miracle! A miracle!" The lictors were the first to withdraw with the prisoner, and they proclaimed the miracle. The accused said that he had falsely confessed the crime, overcome by the tortures; and thus, freed by the divine will of God and the patronage of holy Verdiana, he offered to her, besides other gifts, his own image with the prison-block and the lictor's sword, which were long hung as ^a memorial of the miracle, to the honor of St. Verdiana, who lives and triumphs in heaven through infinite ages. Amen.

ON BLESSED ANTHONY THE PILGRIM, AT PADUA IN ITALY.

Year of Christ 1267.

Anthony the Pilgrim, at Padua in Italy (Blessed)

By I. B.

[1] Ezzelino, ^a most atrocious tyrant, set not so much over Padua and the neighboring cities as prefect by the Emperor Frederick II, as sent by God to avenge the sins of the people (as ^a heavenly revelation shown to ^a holy man reports, according to Bernardinus Corius, History of Milan, part 2, at the year 1207), although he perpetrated innumerable slaughters of men and other infinite crimes, while Ezzelino the tyrant raged, nevertheless gave occasion to some either to undergo ^a glorious death for the sake of justice, or to order their lives piously. We shall relate on February 10 the case of Blessed Arnald, an Abbot extinguished by the foulness of prison at his command. To escape his fury, Anthony, Anthony, ^a Paduan nobleman, flees: born of the noble Manzio family, of his father Marsilius and his mother Dulcina, fled from his homeland and cultivated piety abroad, visiting places celebrated for miracles and religion; at length, when the tyrant had been destroyed, he returned to his homeland, and there, unknown even to his own family, spent some years in the utmost poverty. In the brief Chronicle of Paduan affairs, from the year 1189 to 1325, published after the Chronicle of Rolandinus, at the year 1267 these words appear: "Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim died in this year." Guglielmo and Albriceto Cortusio, who wrote their history around the year 1364, book 1, chapter 8, have the following: "In the same year (1266) Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim died." From their testimony it is clear that he was commonly called "Blessed" already three hundred years ago.

[2] Bernardinus Scardeonius composed ^a brief epitome of his life in his Antiquities of Padua, book 2, class 6, section on Blessed Anthony Manzio the Pilgrim. he goes on pilgrimage for five years: Angelus Portenarus also treats of him in his Paduan Felicity, book 9, chapter 40, and reports that even before he fled from his homeland he was of the most upright character, and so generous to the poor that he poured out all his goods upon them; that he went on pilgrimage for five years, and after the death of Ezzelino, which occurred in the year 1259, [after death he is buried in the church of S. Maria de Porcilia: relics transferred into the city,] he returned to his homeland and thenceforth lived by begging, using no other lodging than the portico of the church of the convent of S. Maria de Porcilia outside the walls. This convent of nuns was demolished in the year 1509, when the Emperor Maximilian was preparing ^a siege of the city, as was the other Camaldolese convent nearby. The nuns withdrew to the monastery of St. Benedict within the city, and carried there the body of Blessed Anthony and of Blessed Compagnus, which had been left in the neighboring church by the Camaldolese and had been brought by the soldiers themselves to the nuns' church, as Portenarus writes.

[3] In the year 1575 the same nuns built another convent, through the patronage and effort of Daulus Doctus, and it was called after Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim; the church was dedicated in the year 1581. For the memory of the matter, this inscription was engraved upon ^a stone: then, ^a convent built in his name, "To Daulus Doctus, son of Bernardinus, originally of the Dauli family, because, when the convent and church of St. Anthony the Pilgrim together with the other buildings near the walls had been destroyed by public decree lest they obstruct the city's defenses, he was designated Protector and with the greatest zeal had them restored in this place within the city; Lucretia Capivaccia, Abbess, and the other Virgins erected this monument because of his faithfulness and diligence. The church of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated in the year 1581 from the birth of Christ, on the 17th day before the Kalends of June, by Federico Cornelio, Bishop of Padua." transferred there. In the same year, on the 25th of March, in ^a solemn procession of the entire Clergy, with the whole people accompanying them, the relics of Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim were carried to this new church, as were those of Blessed Compagnus, and placed in their ancient marble tombs, elevated upon small columns. Inscriptions were added on twin tablets, one of which is of this sort: "Here lies Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim of Padua, born of the Manzio family, who visited all the holy places. He died in the year of the Lord 1266, on the 30th of January." We shall give the other inscription on the 8th of October, the day on which the memory of Blessed Compagnus is observed.

[4] That it is here said he died in the year 1266 we believe to be an error, since the others already cited, as well as Scardeonius himself He died in the year 1267, January 30. and Portenarus too, report the contrary -- unless here too, as in France, the months before Easter pertained to the preceding year. We have therefore entered him under the Kalends of February, although he died on the 30th of January, because the inscription reported by Scardeonius expresses that day; whence we conjectured that on that day he was entombed, and venerated by the accustomed concourse of the people, with offerings and other marks of private piety, but not yet with public sacred rites, since he has not yet been enrolled by the Church in the catalogue of the Saints.

[5] Molanus entered his name on the same day, January 30, in his Additions to Usuard: "On the same day, of blessed memory, of Anthony the Pilgrim of Padua, born of the Manzio family, his commemoration in the Martyrology, January 30. who visited all the holy places and died in 1267." Canisius has the same, except that he makes him of Pavia or Paphos instead of Padua. Molanus in his second edition reports him on the same day in other words; on which day also Ferrarius, in his General Catalogue: "At Padua, of Blessed Anthony surnamed the Pilgrim."

[6] The same Ferrarius again on February 1: "At Padua, of Blessed Anthony surnamed the Pilgrim, of the Camaldolese Order." and February 1. Arnold Wion on the same day: "At Padua, in the convent of St. Benedict, the deposition of St. Ausonius (in the notes he has Anthony) surnamed the Pilgrim, of the Camaldolese Order, who, after the example of St. Alexius, serving his two sisters, who were nuns, remained unknown until death, and at last, full of good works, rested in peace." Menardus has the same. But that he was of the Camaldolese Order, neither the cited writers of Paduan affairs report, nor does it seem probable; for if he was ^a monk of that Order, why did he live in the portico of the church of S. Maria and not in the nearby Camaldolese convent? The occasion for suspecting this perhaps arose from the fact that Blessed Compagnus appears to have been of that Order, who rests in the same church as Anthony. Nor is it reported that he served his own sisters; nor did he die at the convent of St. Benedict, nor are his relics now preserved there, although they were deposited there for seventy years. More briefly, Benedict Dorganius writes on February 1: "Of St. Anthony, called the Pilgrim, who, full of good works, rested in peace."

LIFE, by Bernardinus Scardeonius.

Anthony the Pilgrim, at Padua in Italy (Blessed)

[1] At nearly the same ^a period lived also Blessed Anthony, surnamed the Pilgrim, Blessed Anthony, ^a beggar, goes on pilgrimage: who, from his earliest youth having begun to abominate the allurements of the world and to embrace heavenly things, while in the meantime the ^b tyranny of Ezzelino raged beyond measure, not compelled by any force like many others, but ^a voluntary fugitive, leaving his homeland, wandered over almost the entire globe as ^a beggar, living off the charity of others -- he who at home had previously fed beggars from his own means. He went therefore first to Jerusalem, Compostela, Rome, Loreto, and nearly all other places which either religion he visits sacred places: or the relics of some Apostle or outstanding Saint adorned. And so he spent nearly all the remainder of his life in traveling on pilgrimage, seeking daily sustenance by begging, not without immense labors of the body and sometimes with the greatest distress of mind.

[2] At length, having returned to his homeland, he lived for some time unknown, in the utmost destitution and misery, he returns to his homeland unknown: never recognized by anyone before the last day of his life. Finally, weariness, want of food, and intolerable cold brought him into ^a very grave illness; after death he is recognized by ^a written document: languishing for some time from this, he died. From ^a written document he was at last known after death -- both who he had been and for what reason he had been unwilling to be recognized by his own family. For he was born of the noble Manzio family of Padua, in the parish of St. Peter. He died in the year of salvation 1267, on the third day before the Kalends of February.

[3] He became illustrious after death through many great miracles, although he was not received into the catalogue of Saints by the Roman Church. he is illustrious for miracles: ^a chapel dedicated to him; He was nevertheless held at that time in the highest veneration at Padua, and ^a quite beautiful chapel was dedicated to him outside the Porcilia gate; ^c and by ^a municipal decree ^d it was established that on ^a fixed day ^a solemn procession should be made in his memory, a procession for that purpose: with all the shops in the entire city closed and ^a cessation from all servile work throughout the city imposed upon all, no less than if it had been commanded by the Supreme Pontiff.

[4] But as the blessed man became more and more illustrious with miracles day by day, canonization requested: the Paduans had petitioned the Supreme Pontiff through envoys that his name be inscribed in the catalogue of Saints. He replied that it could suffice well enough for the Paduans to have one Anthony who was sanctified. Nor was he for that reason held in any less honor thereafter than before, nor did it cease that on the same day the Praetor and other citizens would most honorably proceed in solemn pomp with the banners of the guilds and with the whole people, with wax candles, in religious procession, to salute the sacred Relics, both in the church of the nuns where he himself lay and in the neighboring church of the monks. relics transferred: Now, however, both convents having been demolished, the nuns withdrew within the city with these holy Relics, while the monks migrated to other monasteries of their Order at Venice, in the year of the Lord 1509. Of him, moreover, this epitaph is read there:

Here lies the body of Blessed Anthony the Pilgrim of Padua, born of the Manzio family, epitaph. who visited all the holy places, and died in the year 1267, on the Kalends of February.