Related Lives: Confessors and Their Female Penitents, 1450–1750 9781501721007

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RELATED LIVES

RELATED LIVES Confessors and Their Female Penitents, 1450 -1750

Jodi Bilinkojf

CORNELL UN I VE R SITY PRESS ITHACA & N EW YO RK

Copyright©

2001

by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof~ must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from

the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York r48jO.

First published

20C)

by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bilinkoff, Jodi, 1955-· Related lives: confessors and their female penitents, '4)0-·!7!0 I Jodi Bilinkoff. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-o-8or4-42)1-3 (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN-ro: o-8014-42)1-6 (cloth: alk. paper) r. Confession-Catholic Church-History.

2.

Monastic and religious life of

women-History. 3· Confessors-History. 4· Spiritual directors-History. ). Penitents-History. 6. Christian hagiography-History. I. Title. BX2262.B55

2005

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.corneiLedu.

Cloth printing

109876!4321

~ CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Vll

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ix

Introduction 1. Spiritual Directions

I2

2. How to Be a Counter-Reformation Hagiograp her 3. Whose Life Is This Anyway? 76

4. Soul Mates 5. Reading Habits Conclusion

NOTES

96

I I I

l 19

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

46

1 77

163

32

*

ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig.

I

Confession in a church, late fifteenth century

Fig.

2

Raymond of Capua writing the life of Catherine of Siena

Fig. 3 Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi Fig. 4 Dona Maria de Pol

49

6o 67

Fig. ro Fran

29

fa raa~ uiJtmfdl otdmna per""

oe-Stna ara nouamec OtUotafft~ ctatreh!Jlos od~ comoltoammtarro:::::

man(aoa:e ocmolrm fftolkS tfto1taOB.

€ norcfmirsprr "" rrnrrct mrftrcen fA(l'S tbtolosfa molr be; t tllltgcnrmcnt coucgldalf t~aminads. F IGURE TWO

Raymond of Capua writing the life of Catherine of Siena. From La vida de la bienaventurada sancta Caterina de Sena (Alcala de Henares, I )I 1). Courtesy of the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid.

minican order. She spent several years praying and fasting in the isolation of her father's home. By 1374 she had embarked on a remarkable public mission, or apostolate. Inspired by God's commands, Catherine began preaching peace and charity, urging Christians to unite in a new Crusade to the Holy Land, and attempting to reconcile conflicts and reform the papacy. She traveled constantly, talked to whoever would listen, and dictated hundreds of letters to popes, nobles, city councilors, and ordinary townspeople. Suspected by some, revered by many, Catherine was perhaps the most controversial-and charismatic-figure of her day.5 4 In 1374 Raymond of Capua was a well-established and respected Domini-

30