Christian Women in the Medieval Era – Part 44

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) – Part 1

Introduction

We have been taking a journey through the Middle Ages (around 500 AD to 1500 AD) with stories of the women that God called and gifted to serve Him during this very interesting time in history. So far, our journey has taken us from Genovefa (423 – 502) through Angela of Foligno (1248-1309). We have discovered that there were queens, abbesses, nuns, Beguines, sisters in monasteries, writers, godly wives, mothers, empresses, social reformers, and many other women who served Christ. 

In the late thirteenth century and first half of the fourteenth century all of society including the Church had been undergoing tremendous changes, often not for the better. There were tremendous conflicts between Church and state which affected everybody since European culture was basically Christian. Sadly, in the 13^th and 14^thcenturies, there began a “widening credibility gap between the institutional church and the conscience of the ordinary faithful.”^[1] People were distressed that there was even actual war between popes and kings. This is something we find odd in our day but should not be surprised at since the desire for power is strong in men since the Fall. By the fourteenth century church leaders were living as richly as kings. Many devout believers including Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic, and Saint Benedict had already been seeking to restore the Church to her original calling to follow Christ, who was poor and humble in service to others. 

There were also many women as we saw in our last post about Angela of Foligno who sought to encourage the church leaders to return to following Christ’s example of service. In our next few stories, we will see how godly women went about prayerfully, respectfully, and righteously confronting church rulers pleading for the true peace and love of the gospel.

A note on 14th century Italian history 

The Italians have been known as a very passionate people. They have given the world much beauty in works of art, music, literature, expressions of love, nature, and good food. Some historians feel that the origins of the Renaissance were there in 14th century Italy. Italian artists had begun to feature the human person in their art and attention to humanism appeared in works of literature. Catherine’s contemporaries were Dante (d. 1321), Chaucer (d. 1400), Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373), Petrarch (d. 1374), and Boccaccio (d. 1375). 

In Medieval Europe faith was the central aspect of life. It was expected that people attended Mass. Everyday social life included ongoing annual religious festivals that most participated in. Communities organized the “holy-days” that became traditional. Organizations existed to aid the people in many ways. People belonged to groups that fed the poor, provided housing for the homeless, and gave clothing and medical aid. The fourteenth century was also a time of horrible plagues. It is estimated that as much as one third of the population succumbed to the Black Death in Europe. Christians viewed the plague as punishment from God and many turned to the church and religious leaders like Catherine of Siena for solace. 

It is also helpful to know that Europe was not made up of large countries like it is today if we are to understand the background to our story. The populace lived in smaller nation states. A large city such as Florence was the center of power and politics for its kingdom and was usually ruled by a duke. These city states would often war with each other as they tried to enlarge their territories and wealth. The pope was the political ruler of the Papal states and administered secular as well as religious laws. He had an army and at times very much wealth. The Papal states were often involved in intrigues and wars with other Italian states. This caused internal conflicts for many as they tried to determine where their loyalties should lie – church or state? 

Into this time of cultural advancement in learning coupled with religious and political conflicts in society stepped Catherine of Siena. Seeking peace, Catherine learned to balance her loyalties and became an advisor to political leaders and popes. 

For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. I John 4:20-21 

Catherine of Siena was a fourteenth century Christian mystic and writer. She lived during a time of decline in the world. There were plagues, economic disasters, and political corruption. The Church was in turmoil. Catherine lived during a time when there were multiple and allegiances. Catherine was called by God to be a peacemaker and to mediate conflicts in the Church and Society. 

Catherine’s Life and Work 

Catherine was born with her twin sister in 1347, the twenty-fourth child of Giacomo and Lapa Benincasa. Giacomo was a prosperous cloth dyer and they had a very large home. Even from a very young age Catherine showed that she was different from Lapa’s other children. Lapa loved Catherine dearly but did not fully understand her. Catherine wanted to fast from meat and fed it to her cat under the table when Lapa was not looking. Eventually of course Lapa noticed that Catherine was not eating all of her food. This habit of denying herself food would last through Catherine’s entire life. 

Catherine also began to seek solitude at a very early age. She wanted to be alone with God to commune with him. It is amazing how a young child could have such devotion to Christ, but Catherine had had a remarkable experience when she was six years old. On the way home from visiting a sister she had a vision of heaven which she never forgot. At age seven she took a vow to devote her life to Christ and she maintained it. Her family tried to arrange a marriage for her with her brother-in-law, Niccolo, after her sister died. She refused him and all of her mother’s marriage plans for her and devoted her life to solitude and prayer. 

At age sixteen she joined the third order of the Dominicans called the Mantellate. These women went throughout the streets in their familiar black and white robes serving the poor. They also maintained a highly contemplative life. At home Catherine had a small room where she could pray and meditate. The room was three by nine feet and had only one little window. Her bed was made of boards and she had a chunk of wood for a pillow. A small chest held her few possessions. She had a few pictures of saints. She wore a hair shirt for a while and then changed it for a thin iron chain which she wore nearly to the end of her life. 

Though Catherine believed in practicing self-discipline she did not believe that it was the way to true piety. She believed that trust in Christ, humility, patience, and a thirst for God’s salvation were the signs of a pure heart. Following these spiritual practices led to true righteousness. Years later Catherine would explain about her self-discipline in her book The Dialogue that her heavenly Bridegroom told her, “What I demand of my servants is inner virtue and the struggles of the soul, not such external deeds as have the body alone as their instrument. These are means of increasing virtue but are not virtues in themselves.”^[2]

Catherine’s family recognized her true devotion to God and respected her privacy. Her mother Lapa would sometimes try to intervene and encourage Catherine to eat or sleep. Lapa loved Catherine and later after her husband Giacomo died would support her daughter. Catherine then spent the next several years praying and speaking to no one but her confessor. 

After three years of solitude Catherine left her private cloister to become active in charitable works. Catherine was about nineteen years-old when she took the white robe and veil of the Sisters of Penitence. At this time the dreaded Black Plague had been killing thousands of people. Catherine worked at the La Scala hospital and fearlessly nursed the sickest patients. While administering to the needs of her patients she also gave them spiritual advice. Her personal charm and practical wisdom won many friends for her. 

Her piety convinced many that she was truly a woman of God to follow. Catherine had the ability to discern the state of a soul and she witnessed to many lost people and won many to Christ. People began to flock to her for advice. Of course, this made enemies for her too. Some thought of her as just a fanatic. Later, when she had some influence among the church leaders, she would be accused by jealous men of being a political manipulator. 

The stories of Catherine’s spiritual guidance eventually got back to Avignon and the cardinals invited her to come for a visit, which they later regretted. They wanted to use her influence to be an envoy of the pope to Italy to convince the people there to support him. They knew that the Italians wanted the pope to return to Rome, but that was not their plan. The cardinals wanted to remain in Avignon where they had such a comfortable lifestyle. The tension in the air was palpable as the twenty-nine-year-old mystic came to talk to Gregory. Catherine went to Avignon to try and talk the pope, Gregory XI, into returning to Rome where he belonged. Catherine came with the desire to bring peace to the church. The cardinals only cared about their power and began to fear that this young woman would ruin their plans. Why should she have so much influence? 

Stay Tuned. We will discover more about Catherine’s life including why she was so influential in Part 2.

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^[1] Paul Lachance, O.F.M., Translator. Angela of Foligno: Complete Works (New York: Paulist Press, 1993). P. 28.

^[2] Sigrid Undset. Catherine of Siena (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1951). P. 30-31.