Giuliana Puricelli (1427 - 15 August 1501) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

professed religious from the

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

. Puricelli left her home after her father wanted to have her married and so fled to a hermitage where she placed herself under the

spiritual direction Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...

of Caterina Moriggi. The two became close friends and their hermitage grew over the following decades. Her reputation was noted throughout the area for her contemplation and penitential practices as well as for her desire to live a cloistered life meditating on

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

. The devotion to Puricelli led to her beatification on 16 September 1769 after

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...

confirmed her local cultus (or longstanding veneration).

Life

Giuliana Puricelli was born in

Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; lmo, label= Bustocco, Büsti Grandi) is an Italian city and ''comune'' in the south-easternmost part of the Province of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, in Northern Italy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is main ...

in 1427 to

peasants A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

. Her father was a crude and violent man who detested the fact that his daughter was attracted to the spiritual life and so made plans to have her married. To that end she fled her home in secret on 14 October 1454 and encountered Caterina Moriggi at her hermitage. Puricelli became close friends with Moriggi (who served as her

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...

when she entered the hermitage) over time and the two grew their hermitage to attract additional members.

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

granted her permission on 10 August 1476 to live the monastic life and she assumed the

religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, ...

following this. Puricelli became noted for her strength of spirit and her patience in addition to her assiduous contemplation of

. The nun - who was

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

- often fetched fresh water for pilgrims who visited the hermitage. Puricelli died at the convent on 15 August 1501 after having served as its

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

since Moriggi's death in 1478. Her remains were relocated on 23 October 1650 and moved again near those of Moriggi in 1729.

Beatification

Both Puricelli and Moriggi were beatified on 16 September 1769 after

confirmed their local cultus (or longstanding veneration).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puricelli, Giuliana 1427 births 1501 deaths 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns 15th-century venerated Christians Beatifications by Pope Clement XIV Italian beatified people People from Busto Arsizio Venerated Catholics 15th-century women farmers 15th-century farmers