480:, in his "Discourse IX of the Dolors of Mary", Passino writes that Jesus Christ Himself one day, speaking to blessed Baptista Varani of Camerino, assured her that when on the cross, so great was His affliction at seeing His Mother at His feet in such bitter anguish, that compassion for her caused Him to die without consolation; so much so, that the blessed Baptista, being supernaturally enlightened as to the greatness of this suffering of Jesus, exclaimed, "O Lord, tell me no more of this Thy sorrow, for I can no longer bear it."
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13 March 1491 she composed 'Vita
Spirituale', (Spiritual Life, or her Autobiography) which was a long letter to Domenico of Leonessa (the preacher who had inspired her tears as a child). In the letter she told him how he had inspired her spiritual life and expressed his gratitude to him. She thought that this would be her last testament before dying, but she was to live on for another 30 years.
41:
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346:), which followed from her long meditations on this topic. It was written as a meditation by an anonymous nun to her abbess, and it consists in Christ's presenting eight of His sorrows: the damned, the elect, his mother, Mary Magdalen, the apostles, Judas, the Jewish people, and the ingratitude of all creation.
250:) and she began to read it every Friday, while on her knees before a crucifix. She also then began other practices such as fasting on bread and water, keeping night vigils. At this time she continued to spend time playing music, singing, dancing, promenading, and other youthful pursuits abundant in court life.
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Her father founded a new monastery of that Order at
Camerino, and presented it to his daughter. By the time she turned 35 years of age, she was elected Abbess for the first time, a position she continued to hold for several terms. She was elected abbess of her monastery in 1500 and she was re-elected
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The following five years were ones wherein she experienced a spiritual crisis. She wrote that she was battling with the devil, as she felt abandonment and desolation while being haunted with temptations to rebel against God and to disbelieve the scriptures. During this period, between 27 February and
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From the ages of 18–21, she went through three years of deep spiritual struggles against the allurements of the world. Her father did all in his power to force his daughter into marriage, even to the extent of imprisoning her. During these two and half years, she reported having very deep conversions
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When she was 10 years old Varano was so impressed with the preaching of Friars
Domenico of Leonessa and Peter of Mogliano that every Friday she would meditate on the passion of Christ. One day Verano came across a booklet that contained a meditation on the Passion of Christ divided into fifteen parts
557:
Her works also 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
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and took the name
Baptista. She described the step in Biblical terms, as having been freed from the 'slavery of Egypt' (referring to the world), and from 'the hands of powerful Pharaoh' (referring to her father), that she had 'crossed the Red Sea' (left the court life), and was 'placed in the desert
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O Most
Clement God, if you were to reveal to me all the secrets of your Sacred Heart and everyday were to show me the Angelic Hierarchies; if everyday I could raise the dead, it would not be because of these things that you love me with an infinite love. Rather, it would be because I have done good
553:
Also attributed to Varano are three brief hand-written compositions, a short letter to her brother-in-law Muzio
Colonna (1515), a Memoria recording her first encounter with the Benedictine-Olivetan monk Antonio di Segovia (1492), a eulogy in honour of the death of the Observant Franciscan Pietro da
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of 1479 Varano listened to a sermon of
Observant Franciscan friar Francesco of Urbino, whom she described as "the trumpet of the Holy Spirit". This sermon struck her deeply. After another sermon by the same friar (with whom she secretly corresponded) on the feast of the Annunciation, 24 March 1479,
524:
Two angels came to me, dressed in resplendent white garments which I have seen only worn by Jesus. They had wings of gold. One of them took my soul from the right side, the other from the left side, and they elevated it in the air, laying it down near the crucified feet of the Son of God made Man.
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holding her at the bleeding feet of Christ (described below), which lasted two months. She had another vision following this of God's love, which afterwards convinced her of her unworthiness, and she asked God to always remain prostrate at Christ's feet. The next five years she recorded as being
258:("Praise"), which was about the joy she felt in knowing that Christ loved her. She claimed that she once saw Christ (in answer to her desire to see Him), but she saw only His back as He was walking away. She also experienced seven months of severe physical illness and depression.
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with Christ, and she received many divine visitations. She claimed that Jesus had given her 'three fragrant spring lilies': an intense hatred of the world, a heart-felt humility and a burning desire to endure evil. She composed her first written work in this time, a
461:. She wrote a letter to the Vicar General of the Observant Franciscans, Giovanni of Fano, to whom her last written work 'Trattato della Purita di cuore' was dedicated in the same year. She died in her monastery in Camerino during a plague on 31 March 1524, on the
330:. She wrote that she did not recognize the nun at first, but afterwards she knew that it was Clare, the foundress of her Order, and the experience caused her love and devotion to St. Clare to intensify. It was a few days after this that she had a vision of two
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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.
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Camilla resisted her father's plans so firmly that after two and a half years 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. During the
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of
Camerino. She was raised by Giulio Cesare's wife, Giovanna Malatesta. Both her father and stepmother were very fond of her, and she grew up in the splendour of the court, receiving an education which included grammar and
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Varano made her profession in 1483 and claimed it was a bittersweet moment for her, as there was much political and religious controversy about her decision to become a nun. It was during her stay at Urbino that she wrote
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as a mark of Franciscan life, as well as mystical espousal with Christ. An element of her writing not found in St Clare's was her stress on Christ's inner sufferings and the need to suffer the evil that had befallen Him.
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This state lasted about two months almost continually; I seem to walk, to speak, and do what I wished, deprived however of my soul. It remained there where the two Angels had placed it but they never abandoned it.
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As a whole the writings of Baptista are remarkable for originality of thought, spirituality, and vivid language. Br. José Rodríguez Carballo, ofm, Minister General of the Friars Minor quotes Camilla Baptista:
318:(located near her father's castle), in a monastery which her father had purchased from the Olivetan monks and restored in order to have his daughter closer to him. Her father had made arrangements with the
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of the Observant Franciscans, under whose authority the Poor Clares operated, and the pope, in order to have her re-located there. Battista, however, was reluctant to do so and moved only under obedience.
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She wrote with equal facility in Latin and Italian, and who was accounted one of the most accomplished scholars of her day. Camilla wrote extensively. Her work includes Pregheria a Dio (1488–1490),
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she then took a vow of chastity; she was 21 at the time. At this same time, she also began to increasingly hear voices inside her telling her that her only hope of salvation was to become a nun.
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Battista fled the city and sought refuge in Fermo, but the local population, terrified of facing the wrath of Cesare Borgia, rejected her. She found refuge in the village of Atri, in the
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Varano then had a bitter internal struggle, while dealing with sneers and gossip behind her back by members of the court, and her father initially opposed her wish to enter into
550:(I dolori mentale di Gesu nella sua passione), is considered a masterpiece and is her best-known work. It is largely a series of translations of revelations which she received.
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Paul Lachance. Battista da Varano (1458-1524): A Survey of Her Life and Writing as a Poor Clare Visionary. Mystics Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 1 (March 1994), pp. 19-25.
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Her writings represented a high point in the Poor Clare tradition through its emphasis on the following of the "poor and crucified Christ", articulated by St.
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on 7 April 1843, following recognition of her long-standing public cult. On 4 February 1893 her writings were also approved. On 17 October 2010
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Varano wrote in the dialect of the Marches region, while quoting scripture in Latin, which preserved the usage of the language at that period.
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declare to me that they were so intimate with God that God is not ever separated from them. They also explained to me that the
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One of the most significant points in Varano's spiritual life occurred then, when she had a vision lasting fifteen days of St.
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Saint Baptista Varani is depicted in a stained glass window in the church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Woodford Green, Essex.
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with wings of gold, appeared to her because they were assigned to help her understand the mysterious working of unitive love.
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to the one who has wronged me, said good things of and praise the one who has spoken ill of me and wronged me unjustly.
923:"History of the Parish, Section 5: The Fabric and Stained Glass", St. Thomas of Canterbury, Woodford Green, Essex
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for hosting enemies of the pope and for allegedly assassinating a cousin of the pope. The papal forces, led by
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752:"St. Camilla Batista Varano", Poor Clares of the Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, Langhorne, Pennsylvania
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Her feast was originally kept in the Franciscan Order on 2 June but is more recently commemorated on 30 May.
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In 1521 Varano herself traveled to San Severino Marche to train a monastery of nuns who had just adopted the
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for murder. Varano wrote to her brother-in-law, Muzio Colonna, to ask that he spare the inhabitants of
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638:""In The End, God Helped Me Defeat Myself": Autobiographical Writings by Camilla Battista da Varano1"
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were likewise united to the cherubim in that none of them could ever go without the other to a soul.
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Varano's remains were placed to rest in the crypt of the Monastery of the Poor Clares of Camerino.
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On 8 April 1821 Pope Leo XII approved the acts of the process for her canonization. Varano was
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filled with inner suffering that gave her a desire to leave the body and be with Christ.
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On 4 January 1484 Varano and eight other of her companions transferred to the new
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Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum
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Mogliano (1491), as well brief prayers, letters, poems, tracts and revelations.
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La Bienheureuse Varani, Princesse de Camerino et religieuse franciscaine
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992:(Copenhagen, 1908), German tr. in Excelsis (Kempten and Munich, 1911),
772:. Vol. 16 (Index). New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1914. 8 June 2013
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827:"Carballo ofm, Br. José Rodríguez. "Light for Our Time", Rome, 2010"
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Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis
896:(in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 29.
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from 1466 to 1491 which is considered a "jewel of art" and of the
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786:"St. Baptista Varano (1458-1524)", Franciscans NaProinnsiasaigh
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Benedict XVI: Six newest saints show faith can still be found
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Treatise on the Mental Sufferings of Jesus Christ our Lord
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She is said to have experienced visions. According to St.
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and Alphonsus Liguori recorded their admiration for her.
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Palace of Blessed Camilla's father, the Duke of Camerino
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Liguori, Alphonsus. "Discourse IX of the Doros of Mary"
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during his military expedition against Fermo in 1515.
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995:For an appreciation of her poetry see Crescimbene,
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Upcoming Canonization of Bl. Camilla Battisa Varano
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419:the new pope she felt safe to return to Camerino.
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768:Woywood, Stanislaus. "Blessed Baptista Varani."
961:____, Scriptores ord. Min. (3rd ed., 1906), 36;
415:Todeschini, staying there until 1503 when with
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446:) she successfully stopped the execution of
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340:I dolori mentali di Gesu nella sua Passione
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294:On 14 November 1481, Camilla entered the
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912:, Catholic News Agency, Oct 17, 2010
682:"Princess on Earth, Saint in Heaven"
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438:In 1512 through her intervention in
431:sent Varano to found a monastery in
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636:Hudon, William (25 February 2018).
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978:, II (Taunton, 1886), 315–48;
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791:December 6, 2015, at the
770:The Catholic Encyclopedia
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1016:Camilla Battista Varani
999:, I, lib. 2, cap. xiii.
928:April 28, 2013, at the
530:(the celestial spirits)
463:feast of Corpus Christi
338:In 1488, Camilla wrote
231:Giulio Cesare da Varano
869:Accessed Feb 27, 2010.
811:Accessed Feb 27, 2010.
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246:(to be recited like a
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465:, at the age of 66.
379:Flight from Camerino
1120:Poor Clare abbesses
1020:Patron Saints Index
546:Completed in 1488,
440:San Severino Marche
48:Princess and abbess
1030:2018-12-31 at the
865:2011-07-18 at the
655:10.3390/rel9030065
541:The Spiritual Life
539:— Camilla Varano,
502:The Spiritual Life
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459:Rule of St. Clare
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952:Luke Wadding
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938:Bibliography
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841:. Retrieved
834:the original
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686:. Retrieved
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121:Vatican City
78:(1524-05-31)
56:9 April 1458
1110:1524 deaths
1105:1458 births
1077:Catholicism
1010:Poor Clares
988:Jorgenson,
589:Philip Neri
566:Bonaventure
413:Piccolomini
411:, Isabella
407:, with the
357:Antonio, a
76:31 May 1524
1099:Categories
990:I det Hoje
843:2017-11-12
624:References
616:Depictions
583:Veneration
452:Montecchio
423:Later life
227:noblewoman
209:Early life
188:Poor Clare
1065:Biography
664:2077-1444
648:(3): 65.
642:Religions
607:canonized
596:beatified
427:In 1505,
417:Julius II
296:monastery
221:, in the
199:venerated
197:. She is
179:, was an
115:Canonized
102:Beatified
1028:Archived
965:Sbaralea
958:, n. 25;
926:Archived
863:Archived
789:Archived
688:26 March
534:seraphim
528:...They
518:seraphim
484:Writings
362:Olivetan
332:cherubim
240:rhetoric
219:Macerata
215:Camerino
184:princess
173:Camerino
63:Macerata
59:Camerino
1039:Portals
684:. ZENIT
472:Visions
444:Marches
401:Abruzzo
359:Spanish
181:Italian
1053:Saints
662:
397:Mother
300:Urbino
284:Urbino
280:Easter
276:Octave
248:Rosary
233:, the
223:Marche
195:abbess
186:and a
151:31 May
134:shrine
132:Major
1089:Italy
837:(PDF)
830:(PDF)
587:Both
433:Fermo
256:Lauda
203:saint
201:as a
177:Italy
147:Feast
67:Italy
23:Saint
690:2013
660:ISSN
365:monk
264:Lent
242:.
235:Duke
193:and
168:OSCl
73:Died
53:Born
32:OSCl
1018:at
650:doi
598:by
387:by
355:Don
278:of
191:nun
123:by
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