Lucrezia Elena Cevoli (11 November 1685 – 12 June 1767) was an Italian

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 of the

Capuchin Poor Clares The Capuchin Poor Clares ( la, Ordo Sanctae Clarae Capuccinarum) is a Catholic religious order of Pontifical Right for women founded in Naples, Italy, in 1538, by Ven. Maria Lorenza Longo. The order still exists and it now has communities in the ...

. She served as the order's

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 ...

after the death of

Veronica Giuliani Veronica Giuliani (also "Veronica de Julianis"; 27 December 1660 – 9 July 1727)

. She later assumed the name of "Florida" after she joined religious life. She devoted her energies to the maintenance of the order in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

and carried out her assigned tasks with strong zeal and diligence. Cevoli's beatification was held in 1993.

Life

Lucrezia Elena Cevoli was born on 11 November 1685 in

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

to Count Curzio and Countess Laura della Seta. Her education in Pisa was – in 1697 – entrusted to the Sisters of Saint Martin's College. Upon the news that Cevoli wanted to enter religious life in 1703

Cosimo III Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinan ...

stated that "she will not succeed" for he was certain that she would not overcome the difficulties of such a different and austere life instead of the comfortable life she led as a noble. Her first contact with the

was more difficult than she had believed it would be for the mistress

Veronica Giuliani Veronica Giuliani (also "Veronica de Julianis"; 27 December 1660 – 9 July 1727)

– future saint – was inclined not to receive her. Yet she was received since she had a sincere vocation and had passed all the requirements of admission and began her novitiate on 8 June 1703. Cevoli took her vows on 10 June 1705 and selected a new name for her new life. Giuliani became the abbess in 1716 and it was Cevoli – now known as "Florida" – who served at her side as a vicar; she was appointed as such in 1716. With the death of Giuliani she succeeded her until her own death; she continued the work started under her predecessor and did not use strong and harsh impositions to do so. Instead she did so with a degree of both firmness and gentleness which was a stark contrast to that of Giuliani. Cevoli also served as a chief promoter of the canonization cause of Giuliani. Cevoli died on 12 June 1767 after a month of a burning fever. The examination of her remains after her death showed unusual markings on the sides of her chest but her heart appeared to be normal. However some effects were seen on her

aorta The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes ...

that were inexplicable as being a natural phenomena.

Beatification

The beatification process commenced on 1 June 1838 and the commencement bestowed upon Cevoli the title

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

. This ushered in the two processes that saw documents gathered and also witness testimonies. Both were ratified to proceed and all documentation went to the

Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the ...

. She was proclaimed to be

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

on 19 June 1910 after

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

recognized that she had lived a life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...

. The miracle required for beatification to take place was investigated in a diocesan tribunal and was ratified in 1991. The miracle was approved on 13 June 1992 and

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

beatified Cevoli in 1993.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cevoli, Lucrezia Elena 1685 births 1767 deaths 17th-century venerated Christians 18th-century venerated Christians Italian beatified people Beatifications by Pope John Paul II People from Pisa Capuchin Poor Clares Poor Clare abbesses