Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

Beatrice d'Este ( oc, Biatritz or ) (1192 – 10 May 1226) was the daughter of

Azzo VI Azzo VI (1170 – November 1212), also known as Azzolino, was an Italian nobleman and condottiero. He held the title of Marquis of Este (''marchio Eystensis'') from the death of his father, Azzo V (1190) until his death. Biography He was heavil ...

of the Este family by his second wife, Sophia Eleanor, daughter of Humbert III,

Count of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at ...

. She was the aunt of Saint

Beatrice d'Este Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 – 3 January 1497), was Duchess of Bari and Milan by marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "il Moro"). She was one of the most important personalities of the time and, despite her short life, she was a major playe ...

.Thurston, Herbert. "Beatrix." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 3 Aug. 2014
/ref>

Life

An account of her life was written, in both

medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functione ...

and the Italian vernacular, by a Brother Alberto of the church of the Holy Spirit (S. Spirito). This text was unknown for centuries, until it was rediscovered by the historian Giovanni Brunacci in the eighteenth century in an “old Ferrarese codex." Beatrice was born at the

Castello Estense The ' (‘ Este castle’) or ' (‘St. Michael's castle’) is a moated medieval castle in the center of Ferrara, northern Italy. It consists of a large block with four corner towers. History On 3 May 1385, the Ferrarese people, driven to des ...

, the seat of her family's power. About her youth Alberto wrote: She became the object of the courtly love of Rambertino Buvalelli, a Bolognese

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairi ...

who traveled widely in northern Italy. In nine of his ''

cansos The ''canso'' or ''canson'' or ''canzo'' () was a song style used by the troubadours. It was, by far, the most common genre used, especially by early troubadours, and only in the second half of the 13th century was its dominance challenged by a ...

'' Rambertino celebrates the beauty and character of Beatrice, whom he frequently calls by the ''senhal'' (a "sign", as in a nickname) ''Mon Restaur'' ("My Refreshment" in Occitan). The relationship between Rambertino and the young Beatrice was purely poetic, lyric, and musical. Beatrice became a Benedictine nun at Solarola near

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

at the age of fourteen, and in 1221 founded a religious house at the site of an abandoned monastery in Gemmola, formerly inhabited by hermits. In the 17th century it was turned into villa by a Venetian merchant. Today the

Villa Beatrice d'Este A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became sm ...

houses a nature museum.Villa Beatrice d'Este
/ref>

Sant'Antonio in Polesine

The name "in Polesine" does not refer to the area of

Polesine Polesine (; vec, label=unified Venetian script, Połéxine ) is a geographic and historic area in the north-east of Italy whose limits varied through centuries; it had also been known as Polesine of Rovigo for some time. Nowadays it corresponds w ...

, but to its original situation, high ground surrounded by water. The original monastery, founded in the early Middle Ages by Augustinians hermits, stood on an island in the middle of the Po River."Monastery of Sant'antonio in Polesine", Emilia Romagna Turismo
/ref> Beatrice received the monastery from her father as a gift for her community. She moved into the convent, where she died in 1226. Her body was removed to Padua for burial in Santa Sofia. Subsequently, her remains were returned to the cloister chapel of the Monastery of

Sant'Antonio in Polesine Sant'Antonio in Polesine is a Catholic monastic complex of the nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict located in Ferrara, Italy and dedicated to Anthony the Great. Administratively, it is part of the deanery of Ferrara, part of the Archdiocese of Fer ...

which she founded. Her ''

cultus Cultus may refer to: *Cult (religious practice) * ''Cultus'' (stonefly), a genus of stoneflies * Cultus Bay, a bay in Washington * Cultus Lake (disambiguation) *Cultus River, a river in Oregon *Suzuki Cultus The Suzuki Cultus is a supermini car ...

'' was approved for Roman Catholics on 19 November 1763 by

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

and her

feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

is May 10.

Notes

Sources

*Bertoni, Giulio. ''I Trovatori d'Italia: Biografie, testi, tradizioni, note''. Rome: Società Multigrafica Editrice Somu, 1967 915 *Field, W. H. W
Review
of ''Le poesie'' by Rambertino Buvalelli, ed. Elio Melli. In '' Speculum'', 56:2 (Apr., 1981), pp. 362–366.

External links

Villa Beatrice d'Este Monte GemolaVilla Beatrice d'Este sul Monte Gemola
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deste, Blessed Beatrice 1192 births 1226 deaths Blessed Beatrice 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Italian beatified people