Sainte Marguerite de Cortone
Pénitente laïque italienne (+ 1297)
Elle avait vingt-huit ans
et était mère d'un petit garçon quand elle perdit son amant, le comte de
Montepulciano en Italie. Elle le trouva assassiné au pied d'un arbre. Elle
retourna chez son père, un pauvre paysan de Toscane qui l'accueillit avec
amour. Elle voulait rentrer dans un couvent de Cortone, mais on la refusa parce
qu'elle était trop belle et pas encore assez vieille. Elle décida de racheter
ses errements par une pénitence publique, se promenant dans les rues, montrée
par un ânier qui, dans les rues de la ville, criait son passé. Elle logeait
dans une cabane chez des gens riches qui la lui avaient donnée au fond de leur
jardin tandis que les Frères Mineurs se chargeaient de son fils. Admise dans le
tiers-ordre franciscain, elle y vécut vingt-trois ans, gratifiée par Dieu de nombreuses
faveurs mystiques.
À Cortone en Toscane,
l’an 1297, sainte Marguerite. Fortement remuée par la mort violente de son
amant, elle lava par une pénitence salutaire les taches de sa jeunesse et,
reçue dans le Tiers-Ordre de Saint-François, elle se retira dans la
contemplation admirable des réalités célestes, enrichie par Dieu de charismes
d’en-haut.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/686/Sainte-Marguerite-de-Cortone.html
Gaspare
Traversi (1722-1770). Santa Margarida de Cortona
Pénitente
(1249-1297)
Sainte Marguerite de Cortone était une enfant du peuple. La négligence de ses
parents, sa rare beauté, les occasions dangereuses, l'engagèrent en des liens
coupables pendant neuf ans. Aveuglée par ses passions, elle avait le sentiment
de sa vie criminelle et aspirait à en sortir; mais elle n'en avait pas le courage.
La mort violente et tragique de son séducteur fut pour elle le coup de grâce.
Ardente au bien comme elle l'avait été au mal, elle fit l'aveu de ses fautes,
et, après trois ans d'épreuves, reçut l'habit du Tiers-Ordre de Saint-François.
Notre-Seigneur lui fut prodigue, comme autrefois à Madeleine, de Ses faveurs
les plus singulières. La terre froide et nue est son lit, une pierre ou un
morceau de bois son oreiller; son sommeil est souvent interrompu par ses
soupirs et par ses larmes; sa beauté d'autrefois n'est plus aujourd'hui pour
elle qu'un objet d'horreur; elle se défigure par les jeûnes et par de
sanglantes meurtrissures.
La plus insigne grâce de sa vie depuis sa conversion, c'est sa participation
aux souffrances de la Passion: "Prépare-toi, lui dit Jésus-Christ, à être
purifiée par les tribulations, les tentations, les infirmités, les douleurs,
les larmes, les craintes, la faim, la soif, le froid, les privations de toutes
sortes; Je serai avec toi. -- O Seigneur, dit Marguerite, je m'offre avec
allégresse pour souffrir avec Vous."
Elle eut bientôt une participation aussi grande que possible aux douleurs de
Jésus, qu'elle vit et qu'elle endura toutes les unes après les autres. Quand
elle sortit de cet état surnaturel, pâle et livide, elle demeura longtemps sans
parole et glacée d'un froid mortel.
Dieu donna à Marguerite une grâce puissante pour obtenir la conversion des
pécheurs et la délivrance des âmes du purgatoire. Elle eut, avant sa mort, à
soutenir de terribles combats contre l'ennemi des âmes; mais Dieu fut avec
elle, et elle vit un ange descendre du Ciel pour la fortifier.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : https://sanctoral.com/fr/saints/sainte_marguerite_de_cortone.html
Sainte Marguerite de Cortone
Pénitente, Tertiaire Franciscaine
+ en 1297
Marguerite avait 16 ans, elle était coquette et malheureuse, et un jour de cette année 1263, dans la vallée qui sépare Cortone de Montepulciano elle songeait… Son père s'était remarié, sa marâtre ne l'aimait pas et lui rendait le foyer impossible.. Un jeune seigneur de Montepulciano, charmé de sa beauté lui avait promis le mariage…que faire! Elle fit, hélas ! ce que l'apparence trompeuse d'un bonheur, tel qu'elle le concevait, lui conseillait et prit la direction de Montepulciano. Cette décision devait lui coûter bien des larmes, mais grâce à la miséricorde de Dieu, celui qui sauve Marie de Magdala, elle devait faire d'elle une " Madeleine Franciscaine " par la pénitence et par l'amour. Durant neuf ans, elle vécut dans l'égarement, elle n'était pas épouse, mais elle était châtelaine et chaque jour elle éblouissait ceux qu'elle rencontrait par son luxe; c'est à la brille et riche mondaine semblant heureuse sans l’être car elle pleurait souvent en secret, elle était en effet chrétienne et son âme était déchirée ; elle avait plutôt livré son honneur à la vanité, car son péché, elle ne l'aimait pas. Quelquefois même, comme on la raillait sur sa vie scandaleuse et sur sa coquetterie, elle faisait cette réponse déconcertante : " Rassurez-vous à mon sujet ; un jour viendra où je serai une sainte, et vous viendrez, le bourdon à la main, en pèlerinage à mon tombeau. " Comment ce miracle s'accomplirait-il, elle n'en savait rein, mais Dieu se chargea de la réaliser.
Son amant fut assassiné ; elle fit elle-même, dans un bois voisin, attirée par le chien du mort, la découverte de son cadavre caché sous un monceau de feuilles; elle s'assit près de lui et pleura ; n'ayant plus de place dans une maison où elle n'était plus rien, elle prit par la main l'enfant de son péché et regagna la demeure d'où elle s'était enfuie neuf ans auparavant. Son père laissé à lui-même l'aurait accueillie, mais sous l'influence de la marâtre il l'a rejeta; elle s'assit à quelques pas sous un figuier dont on voit encore les rejetons et la tentation de jadis se représenta; elle avait encore toute sa jeunesse, toute sa beauté ; elle trouverait facilement des seigneurs riches qui la rendraient heureuse, et si elle péchait maintenant, était-ce de sa faute, n'y était-elle pas forcée ! Mais cette fois, Dieu parla plus fort que le tentateur. S'étant levée elle alla droit à Cortone avec son jeune fils se mettre sous la direction des Frères Mineurs. A son entrée dans la ville elle fit la rencontre de deux dames bienfaisantes qui l'accueillirent dans leur maison et le repentir entra à flots puissants dans son cœur. Elle eut voulu retourner à Montepulciano pour demander pardon de ses scandales ; du moins le fit-elle à Laviano son village natal, en un jour de dimanche et pendant la grand'messe, et elle versa une telle abondance de larmes, que ses compatriotes d'abord étonnées, se mirent bientôt à pleurer avec elle. Après une épreuve de trois années, elle fut admise dans le Tiers-Ordre, et celle qui avait beaucoup péché se mit à aimer chaque jour davantage et à authentifier son amour par une pénitence inouïe. Elle se retira d'abord dans une petite maison solitaire, à proximité de l'église des religieuses, dont elle suivait assidûment les offices, s'occupant à soigner les femmes en couches ; elle fonda l'hôpital de la Miséricorde, encore existant aujourd'hui puis sur l'Ordre de Jésus lui-même elle entra dans une réclusion au sommet de la ville près de l'église Saint-Basile où elle resta jusqu'à sa mort.
Durant sa vie d'égarement, Marguerite fut malheureuse : " J'ai tout perdu, disait-elle, l'honneur, la dignité, la paix…sauf la foi. " Et cette foi émergeait en elle pour condamner son péché, pour rendre amer l'enivrement même qu'on peut y prouver et ce fut cette même foi, lumière divine et source de force qui l'incita à la pénitence, à la réparation, et quelle pénitence, quelle réparation ! Non contente de se mortifier, de se macérer, de coucher sur la dure, de se contenter d'un peu de pain, d'eau, et de quelques herbes pour nourriture, non contente de passer la plus grande partie de ses nuits dans la contemplation et la prière, de meurtrir son corps par le cilice et les sanglantes disciplines, elle aura surtout soif d'humiliation, de diffamations, elle aspirait au mépris, à devenir pour tous un objet de dégoût, elle eut souhaité qu'on lui jetât de la boue, qu'on la foulât aux pieds, et elle faisait irruption en pleine église criant son péché aux fidèles assemblés; elle étalait avec une amère complaisance le souvenir de ses débordements demandant à tous de la honnir. Et voici que le Christ l'élevait peu à peu, il en faisait sa fille puis son épouse ; il la désignait par miracle à l'attention des hommes de son temps. " Tu as été faite, lui disait-il, pour crier la paix aux habitants de Cortone, " Marguerite appelait la paix et les Cortonnais se réconciliaient : "tu avertiras l'évêque d'Arezzo de licencier ses troupes, et de faire la paix avec Cortone. Malheur à lui, s'il n'obéit pas ! Et la voix de la médiatrice de la paix désarmait l'évêque d'Arezzo, puis son regard portait plus loin; Jésus lui enjoignait de prier et de s'immoler pour que l'empereur et le roi de Sicile cessassent de disputer au Pape la possession de certaines terres dont il était le légitime souverain, et la dispute cessait. Voyant saint Louis mourir et Saint-Jean d'Acre menacé par les infidèles : " faites hâter le départ des Croisés, criait-elle aux Franciscains. Dieu l'ordonne. " Et l'idée de croisade tourmentait les consciences chrétiennes.
Sainte Marguerite fut donc dans l'Église la médiatrice de paix choisie par le Christ ; elle le fut aussi dans l'Ordre de Saint-François qui commençait à se diviser contre lui-même ; on se demandait si cet Ordre si glorieux à ses débuts, dans le sein duquel des lumières de sainteté avait brillé aussi nombreuses que les astres dans le sein de la nuit, qui avait fait triompher l'Église de la tyrannie de l'empereur Frédéric II d'Allemagne, n'allait pas s'enténébrer pour toujours et succomber à ses propres dissensions ; c'est alors que Marguerite fut chargée par le Christ de le rassurer et de le pacifier, elle démasqua l'hérésie des Fraticelles, fit triompher les partisans de la stricte observance, et Jésus par sa voix renouvela aux Franciscains l'expression de son éternel amour. De par la volonté de celui qui l'avait choisie elle joue même dans l' Ordre un rôle de prophétisme et déchirant les voiles de l'avenir elle lui montra et ses tribulations et ses grandes destinées; elle ne cessait en effet de prier Jésus pour la famille religieuse qui la guidait et la protégeait ou de l'interroger sur son avenir et devint ainsi, de par sa gratitude, le grand prophète de l'Ordre franciscain : ' Dis aux Frères Mineurs, lui commandait-il, qu'approche le temps pour lequel ils doivent se préparer à des tribulations, au milieu desquelles ils sembleront déchus de leur premier état ; mais je serai avec eux et il ne restera au monde aucune religion si aimée, aucun Ordre qui me servira au même point et encore sachent les Frères Mineurs que je leur ai donné et leur donnerai des grâces plus abondantes qu'à quelqu'autre Ordre religieux qui soit au monde. Cependant, qu'ils se préparent à porter des tribulations par lesquelles ils me ressembleront, et je serai avec eux, et qu'ils ne craignent point de ce que je veux leur vie semblable à la mienne, car jamais je ne les abandonnerai. Ils auront un Pape qui semblera mettre en ordre le monde entier, et il le dispersera plutôt. Après cette tribulation, j'exalterai ledit Ordre et le rendrai magnifiquement sublime. Qu'il puise donc en moi la force et ne désire plaire qu'à moi seul et que ses religieux reçoivent avec soin tous ceux qu'ils peuvent amener à l'Ordre petits et grands.
Tiré des Fleurs Franciscaines Vol.112
SOURCE :
http://spiritualitechretienne.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-83937-590226-sainte_marguerite_de_cortone.html
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (–1754),
Sainte Margherita da Cortona, 1737, 38,7 X 30,8,
Washington,
D.C., National Gallery of Art
MARGUERITE DE CORTONE
Laïque, Tertiaire
franciscaine, Sainte
1247-1297
Marguerite est née à
Laviano en Toscane en 1247. Dès l’âge de 7 ans, elle perdit sa mère et son père
se remaria avec une femme qui n’aima pas cette enfant. Abandonnée à
elle-même, Marguerite qui à l’âge de 17 ans, était très belle, se laissa
séduire par un jeune noble qui était, dit-on, le fils du seigneur Guillaume de
Pecora, seigneur de Valiano. Son amant l’emmena chez lui en son château de
Montepulciano et ils eurent un fils. Après 9 années de vie commune qui ne fut
pas exempte d’autres relations, Marguerite qui n’avait pu décider son amant à
l’épouser, se retrouva seule, son amant ayant été assassiné au cours d’un
voyage. Elle confessa plus tard qu’elle accorda ses faveurs à des jeunes gens,
attirés par sa beauté et qu’on la considérait comme une pécheresse. Cependant
la vue de son amant assassiné l’avait profondément impressionnée. Elle commença
à regretter sa vie tumultueuse et à redouter le jugement de Dieu. Elle se mit à
méditer, à s’intéresser aux pauvres, à les secourir, et à servir les malades.
Elle en vint à rechercher la solitude et à rêver d’une vie adonnée à l’amour de
Dieu. Durant plusieurs années, elle mena un rude combat entre ce désir de vertu
et ses attaches mondaines : relations, bijoux, propriété. Ne pouvant
retourner chez son père, en raison de l’hostilité de son épouse, elle dut
trouver une habitation avec son fils. Dans sa prière, elle entendit une voix
qui l’invitait à recourir à la direction spirituelle des Franciscains de
Cortone. Elle trouva en cette ville des personnes charitables qui acceptèrent
de l’héberger et qui la recommandèrent aux frères franciscains. Elle
fréquentait assidûment leur église, mais continuait à être assaillie par les
tentations.
Elle dû attendre trois
années d’épreuve pour enfin être admise dans le Tiers Ordre franciscain. Elle
pratiqua alors une très rigoureuse pénitence en s’imposant des privations de
toutes sortes, sur la nourriture, le vêtement, et en s’infligeant des mortifications
corporelles. Elle finit par se consacrer définitivement à Dieu. Son confesseur
s’efforçait de modérer ses désirs d’humiliation et sa tentation
d’automutilation pour faire disparaître cette beauté qu’elle pensait être la
cause de ses séductions. Elle parcourait la ville en avouant publiquement ses
fautes passées et son désir de réparation. Vivant désormais comme une quasi
recluse, elle fut favorisée de visions, d’auditions de la voix du Christ. On
rapporte que le Christ lui parlait de l’état présent de l’Ordre des Frères
mineurs, pour les mettre en garde contre le relâchement. Le Christ lui aurait
dit un jour : « Je t’ai plantée, ma fille, dans le jardin de mon
amour, car ton bienheureux Père, mon très cher François, n’a eu rien de plus à
coeur que mon amour ; il m’a aimé dans une telle mesure que nul autre ne
lui est comparable aujourd’hui... »
Elle ne quittait la
prière que pour s’intéresser aux pauvres et aux malades en obtenant pour eux la
construction d’un hôpital dans lequel elle put les servir. Elle fonda une
confrérie sous le patronage de Notre-Dame de la merci, pour soutenir cette
fondation. On commençait à recourir à ses prières, à ses conseils, à oublier sa
vie de pécheresse pour peu à peu la considérer comme une sainte. Elle eut à
intervenir dans des conflits civils, s’opposa aux exactions d’un potentat
local, et n’hésita pas à interpeller l’évêque d’Arezzo qui négligeait ses
tâches pastorales et se conduisait comme un prince séculier. Marguerite eut la
révélation de sa mort prochaine et s’endormit le 22 février 1297. Elle fut
enterrée dans l’église des Franciscains. Son corps y est conservé sans
corruption et y est encore vénéré aujourd’hui. Elle fut immédiatement honorée
par le peuple et son culte fut reconnu par le pape Léon X, pour la ville de
Cortone, puis, en 1623 pour tout l’Ordre franciscain par Urbain VIII. Enfin, le
pape Benoît XIII la canonisa le 16 mai 1728. Sa vie a inspiré de nombreux
récits et de remarquables œuvres d’art, dans lesquelles elle est parfois
rapprochée de sainte Marie-Madeleine.
SOURCE : http://nouvl.evangelisation.free.fr/marguerite_de_cortone.htm
Sainte Marguerite de
Cortone (1247-1297)
Fêté le
22 Février
Sa vie
Née en 1247 à Laviano,
sur le lac Trasimène, Marguerite resta vite orpheline de mère.
Mal à l’aise avec sa
marâtre, elle s’enfuit à seize ans à peine, dans le château du comte Arsène de
Montepulciano, avec lequel elle vécut dix années durant.
Quand l’homme qu’elle
aimait trouva précocement la mort au cours d’une partie de chasse, elle le
trouva assassiné au pied d'un arbre .
Elle avait vingt-huit ans
et était mère d'un petit garçon.
Elle retourna chez son
père, un pauvre paysan de Toscane qui l'accueillit avec amour.
Elle voulait rentrer dans
un couvent de Cortone, mais on la refusa parce qu'elle était trop belle et pas
encore assez vieille.
Elle décida de racheter
ses errements par une pénitence publique, se promenant dans les rues, montrée
par un ânier qui, dans les rues de la ville, criait son passé.
Elle logeait dans une
cabane chez des gens riches qui la lui avaient donnée au fond de leur jardin
tandis que les Frères Mineurs se chargeaient de son fils.
Admise dans le
tiers-ordre franciscain, elle y vécut vingt-trois ans, gratifiée par Dieu de
nombreuses faveurs mystiques.
Elle s’éteignit à l’âge
de cinquante ans dans une petite cellule de la grotte qui surplombe Cortone,
déçue par les décisions prises par les chapitres franciscains qui s’éloignaient
désormais de la rigueur des commencements, mais considérée par tous comme un
modèle de vie évangélique.
Sainte-Marguerite de
Cortone est la patronne des prostituées repenties.
Iconographie : Sainte
Marguerite de Cortone est représentée habituellement en habits franciscains,
dont elle était tertiaire, avec un petit chien, et les attributs de l'ermite
pénitent, crucifix et crâne
Intercessions
Elle est invoquée
pour avoir la force de lutter contre les tentations.
Antonio
Bresciani, Saint Margaret in penitence, XVIIIth century
Litanie de Sainte
Marguerite de Cortone
Seigneur, ayez pitié de
nous.
Jésus, ayez pitié de
nous.
Seigneur, ayez pitié de
nous.
Jésus-Christ,
écoutez-nous.
Jésus-Christ,
exaucez-nous.
Père céleste, qui êtes
Dieu, ayez pitié de nous.
Fils, Rédempteur du
monde, qui êtes Dieu, ayez pitié de nous.
Esprit-Saint, qui êtes.
Dieu, ayez pitié de nous.
Trinité sainte, qui êtes
un seul Dieu, ayez pitié de nous.
Sainte Marie Immaculée,
refuge des Pécheurs, priez pour nous.
Sainte Mère de Dieu,
secours des Chrétiens, priez pour nous.
Saint Joseph, très digne
époux de Marie, priez pour nous.
Saint Michel, protecteur
de l'Ordre Séraphique, priez pour nous.
Saint François, fondateur
des Trois Ordres,
Sainte Marguerite,
pénitente du Tiers Ordre,
Sainte Marguerite, fille
bien-aimée du Père,
Sainte Marguerite, épouse
chérie du Fils,
Sainte Marguerite, temple
éblouissant du Saint Esprit,
Sainte Marguerite, enfant
privilégiée de Marie,
Sainte Marguerite,
imitatrice fidèle de Saint François,
Sainte Marguerite, chef
d'œuvre de la Miséricorde Divine,
Sainte Marguerite,
avocate des pécheurs,
Sainte Marguerite, qui
avez converti tant d'âmes dévoyées,
Sainte Marguerite,
ressource des désespérés,
Sainte Marguerite,
consolatrice des affligés,
Sainte Marguerite,
bienfaitrice des pauvres,
Sainte Marguerite, qui
assistiez si efficacement les mères pour leur délivrance,
Sainte Marguerite, modèle
de pénitence,
Sainte Marguerite,
fontaine de larmes,
Sainte Marguerite, vase
de compassion,
Sainte Marguerite, fleur
d'humilité,
Sainte Marguerite,
fournaise d'Amour Divin,
Sainte Marguerite, source
de grâces célestes,
Sainte Marguerite, amante
de la Croix,
Sainte Marguerite, amie
des Anges,
Sainte Marguerite,
semblable aux Prophètes par votre connaissance des choses cachées,
Sainte Marguerite,
semblable aux Apôtres par l'ardeur et la vivacité de votre Foi,
Sainte Marguerite,
semblable aux Martyrs par votre patience dans les souffrances,
Sainte Marguerite,
semblable aux Confesseurs par votre fidélité,
Sainte Marguerite, placée
au rang des Vierges dans le Ciel,
Sainte Marguerite, élevée
parmi les Séraphins,
Sainte Marguerite,
puissante protectrice pour tous ceux qui vous invoquent,
Agneau de Dieu, qui
effacez les péchés du monde, pardonnez-nous Seigneur.
Agneau de Dieu, qui
effacez les péchés du monde, exaucez-nous, Seigneur.
Agneau de Dieu, qui
effacez les péchés du monde, ayez pitié de nous Seigneur.
priez pour nous, ô Sainte
Marguerite, afin que nous devenions dignes des promesses de Jésus-Christ.
Prions
O Dieu, qui par Votre
Miséricorde, avez retiré Votre Servante Marguerite de la voie de la perdition
pour la ramener dans le sentier du Salut: daignez user envers nous de la même
Miséricorde et accordez-nous la grâce de mettre notre gloire à imiter avec
ardeur la pénitence de celle dont nous n'avons pas rougi d'imiter ses
égarements. Par Jésus, le Christ, notre Seigneur. Ainsi soit-il.
+ 50 jours d'Indulgence,
une fois le jour.Hector-Raphaël, Évêque de Lille, 13 mars 1924
Sainte Marguerite de
Cortone, priez pour nous
+ 50 jours d'Indulgence
chaque fois qu'on récite cette invocation
SOURCE : https://www.saintsguerisseurs.fr/le-nom-des-saints/sainte-marguerite-de-cortonne/
Saint
Margaret of Cortona in Third Order of St. Francis Church, Salvador, Bahia,
Brazil.
Santa
Margarida de Cortona na Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, Salvador,
Bahia, Brasil.
16 May on
some calendars
Profile
Farmer‘s
daughter. Her mother died when
Margaret was seven years old, and her step-mother considered
the girl a
nuisance. Margaret eloped with
a young nobleman
from Montepulciano, bore him
a son,
and lived as his mistress for nine years. In 1274 he
was murdered by brigands,
and his body dumped in a shallow grave.
Margaret saw the incident
as a sign from God. She
publicly confessed to
the affair, and tried to return to her father‘s
house; he would not accept her. She and her son took shelter with the Friars
Minor at Cortona.
Still young and attractive, Margaret sometimes had trouble resisting
temptation, but each incident was followed by periods of deep self-loathing. To
make herself unappealing to local young men,
she once tried to mutilate herself, but was stopped by a friar named
Giunta.
She earned her keep by
tending to sick women.
She later began caring for the sick poor,
living on alms,
asking nothing for her services. She became a Franciscan tertiary in 1277.
Margaret developed an deep and intense prayer life,
and was given to ecstacies during
which she received messages from heaven.
In 1286 Margaret
received a charter to work with the sick poor.
She gathered others of like mind, and formed them into a community of tertiaries.
They were later given the status of a congregation, and called the Poverelle (Poor
Ones). With them she founded a hospital at Cortona.
Margaret preached against
vice of all sorts to any who would listen. She developed a great devotion to
the Eucharist and Passion, and prophesied the date of her own death.
Though she worked for
those in need, and though the poor sought
her help and advice, the calumny of
her earlier life followed her the rest of her days, and she was forever the
target of local gossips.
Born
1247 at
Loviano, Tuscany, Italy
22
February 1297 at Cortona, Italy of
natural causes
16 May 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII
people ridiculed for their piety
Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Italy, diocese of
Additional
Information
Among
the Franciscan Tertiaries, by Nesta De Robeck
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
for Sinners, by Father Alban
Goodier, SJ
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Sacred
and Legendary Art, by Anna Jameson
other
sites in english
Life
of Saint Margaret of Cortona, by Antonio Francesco Giovagnoli
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
spletne
strani v slovenšcini
Readings
O Saint Margaret of Cortona,
I too come today as a pilgrim and
I pause to pray with
you at the feet of the image of Christ Crucified and Risen, whom, as a
penitent, you contemplated at length. Lord Jesus, crucified for
us, in offering yourself on Calvary for all humanity, you have revealed to us
the wellsprings of everlasting life. May the mystery of your Passion enlighten
our life making us ready to follow you on the way of holiness and love.
Rekindle our faith; teach us to recognize and welcome in our everyday life the
plans of your mysterious Providence. Give us the courage to confess our sins
and open our hearts to sorrow, in order to receive the gift of your mercy.
Empower us to forgive our brethren following the example of your love that
knows no bounds. Help us to be humbly disposed to repair the harm we have done
by actively and generously serving the poor, the sick, and all who are
marginalized and without hope. Give everyone the joy of persevering faithfully,
in full harmony with the Church, along the way of the particular calling. Above
all others, show the young the splendid plan of love that you intend to bring
about for them and with them at the threshold of the new millennium. Enable us
to be peacemakers, tenacious weavers of daily relationships of fraternal
solidarity, artisans of reconciliation, witnesses and apostles of the
civilization of love. O glorious Saint Margaret of Cortona,
present this request to your Crucified Lord
and ours. Guide us with the strength of your example, support us with your constant
protection, be our companion we beg you, till we reach our Father’s house. Amen. – Pope John
Paul II, 1999
MLA
Citation
“Saint Margaret of
Cortona“. CatholicSaints.Info. 17 February 2023. Web. 23 February 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-margaret-of-cortona/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-margaret-of-cortona/
Visione
di Santa Margherita da Cortona, Chiesa di Ognissanti, Firenze
St. Margaret of Cortona
A penitent of the Third
Order of St. Francis, born at Laviano in Tuscany in
1247; died at Cortona,
22 February, 1297. At the age of seven years Margaret lost her mother
and two years later her father married a second time. Between the
daughter and her step-mother there seems to have been but little sympathy or
affection, andMargaret was one of those natures who crave affection. When
about seventeen years of age she made the acquaintance of a young cavalier,
who, some say, was a son of Gugliemo di Pecora, lord of
Valiano, whith whom she one night fled from her father's
house. Margaret in her confessions does not mention her
lover's name. For nine years she lived with him in his castle near Montepulciano,
and a son was born to them. Frequently she besought her lover to marry her;
he as often promised to do so, but never did. In her confessions she
expressly says that she consented to her lover's importunities
unwillingly. Wadding and
others who have described her in these early years as an abandoned woman,
either had not rightly read her legend, or had deepened the shadows of her
early life to make her conversion seem
the more wonderful. Even during this period Margaret was very
compassionate towards the poor and relieved their wants; she was also
accustomed to seek out quiet places where she would dream of
a life given to virtue and the love of God.
Once some of her neighbors bade her look to her soul before
it was too late. She replied that they need have no fear of her, for
that she would die a saintand that her critics would come
as pilgrims to
her shrine.
She was at last set free
from her life of sin by
the tragic death of her lover, who was murdered whilst
on a journey. Margaret's first intimation of his death was the return
of his favourite hound without its master. The hound led her to his body. It
was characteristic of her generosity that she blamed herself for
his irregular life, and began to loathe her beauty which
had fascinated him. She returned to his relatives all the jewels andproperty he
had given her and left his home; and with her little son set out for her
father's house. Her father would have received her, but his wife refused,
and Margaret and her son were turned adrift. For a moment she
felt tempted to trade upon her beauty; but she prayed earnestly
and in her soul she
seemed to hear a voice bidding her go to the Franciscan Friars at Cortona and
put herself under their spiritual
direction. On her arrival at Cortona,
two ladies, noticing her loneliness, offered her assistance and
took her home with them. They afterwards introduced her to the Franciscan Friars at
the church of San
Francesco in the city. For three yearsMargaret had to struggle hard
with temptations. Naturally of
a gay spirit, she felt much drawn to the world. Buttemptation only
convinced her the more of the necessity of self-discipline and an
entire consecration of
herself toreligion. At times remorse for the past would have led her
into intemperate self-mortifications, but for the wise advice of
her confessors. As it was, she fasted rigorously, abstaining altogether
from flesh-meat, and generally subsisting upon bread and herbs. Her great
physical vitality made such penance a necessity to her.
After three years of
probation Margaret was admitted to the Third
Order of St. Francis, and from this time she lived in
strict poverty. Following the example of St. Francis, she went and
begged her bread. But whilst thus living on alms,
she gave her services freely to others; especially to
the sick-poor whom she nursed. It was about the time that
she became a Franciscan tertiary that
the revelations began which form the chief feature in her story. It
was in the year 1277, as she was praying in
the church of the Franciscan Friars,
that she seemed to hear these words: "What is thy wish, poverella?"
and she replied: "I neither seek nor wish for aught but Thee, my Lord
Jesus." From this time forth she lived in intimate communing
with Christ. At first He always addressed her as "poverella",
and only after a time of probation and purification did He call her
"My child". But Margaret, though coming to lead more and more
the life of a recluse,
was yet active in the service of others. She prevailed upon the city of Cortona to
found a hospital for
the sick-poor, and to supply nurses for the hospital,
she instituted a congregation of Tertiary Sisters, known as le
poverelle. She also established a confraternity of
Our Lady of Mercy; the members of which bound themselves to support
the hospital,
and to help the needy wherever found, and particularly the
respectable poor. Moreover on several
occasions Margaret intervened in public affairs for the seek of
putting an end to civic feuds. Twice in obedience to a Divine
command, she upbraided Guglielmo UbertiniPazzi, Bishop of Arezzo,
in which diocese Cortona was situated, because he lived more like
a secular prince and soldier, than like a pastor of souls.
This prelate was killed in
battle at Bibbiena in 1289. The year previous to this,Margaret for the
sake of greater quiet had removed her lodging from the hospital she
had founded to near the ruined church of
St. Basil above the city. This church she now caused to be
repaired. It was here that she spent her last years, and in
this church she was buried. But after her death it was rebuilt
in more magnificent style anddedicated in her own name. There her body
remains enshrined to this day, incorrupt, in a silver shrine over
thehigh-altar. Although honoured as
a beata from the time of her death, Margaret was not canonized until
16 May, 1728.
The original "Legend
of St. Margaret" was written by her director and friend, Fra
Giunta Bevegnati. It is almost entirely taken up with
her revelations, and was mainly dictated by Margaret herself,
in obedience to her directors. It is published by the Bollandists in
"Acta SS., mense Februarii, die 22". The most notable edition of the
"Legend" however is that published in 1793 by da Pelago, together
with an Italian translation and twelve learned dissertations dealing
with the life and times of the saint.
In 1897 a new edition of da Pelago's work, but without the dissertations, was
published at Siena by Crivelli.
An English version of the greater part of the "Legend",
with an introductory essay, has been published by Fr. Cuthbert, O.S.F.C.
(London, 1906).
Sources
See also MARCHESE, Vita
di S. Margherita (Rome, 1674); CHERANCE, Sainte Marguerite de
Cortone, tr. O'CONNOR (London).
Hess,
Lawrence. "St. Margaret of Cortona." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910.22
Feb. 2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09653b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael T. Barrett. Dedicated to
the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09653b.htm
La basilica
di Santa Margherita, Cortona,
in provincia di Arezzo e diocesi di
Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro
Margaret of Cortona, OFM
Tert. (RM)
Born in Laviano
(Alviano?), Tuscany, Italy, 1247; died in Cortona, Italy, February 22, 1297;
canonized by Benedict XIII in 1728.
Margaret of Cortona was
raised in a poor farm family by her cold stepmother after her own mother died
when she was seven. The harshness of her stepmother, combined with beautiful
Margaret's indulged propensity to seek pleasure, led her into seduction by nobleman
of Montepulciano when she was 18. She followed him to his castle and became his
mistress for nine years, always hoping that he would make good his promise to
marry her.
She would ride arrogantly
out of his castle, dressed in fine silks and despising the poor. She longed to
marry the young man, but he refused, even when she bore him a son. One day he
failed to return to the castle. Two days later his dog returned alone. He
plucked at her dress until Margaret followed him through a wood to the foot of
an oak tree, where he began to scratch. To her horror, she found the
disfigured, decaying body of her lover in the leaf- covered pit where his
murderers had thrown him.
The sight of this rotting
carcass, who had been her gallant, struck her with such terror of the divine
judgment and the treachery of this world that she became a perfect penitent.
When he died, she was evicted from his castle, and gave back all his gifts. In
despair she publicly confessed her sins, dressed herself as a penitent, and then
tried to atone for her sins by infinite goodness to the poor and prayer.
Unsure of her next step,
she returned to her father's home with her son. She threw herself at his feet
bathing them in tears to beg his pardon for her contempt of his authority and
fatherly admonitions. She spent days and nights in tears. She also attempted to
repair the scandal she had caused by going to the parish church with a rope
around her neck and asking public pardon. Her father wished to take her back,
but her stepmother refused to have such a public sinner under the same roof.
Driven away in shame, she
was tempted to give up her good resolves, but she prayed, and an inner voice
bade her go at once to Cortona and to confide the care of her soul to the
Franciscans. On the way she met two ladies, Marinana and Raneria Moscari, who
listened to her story. Moved with pity, they took the mother and her son into
their home and care. Later they introduced her to the Franciscans, who soon
became her fathers in Christ and they arranged for her son's education at
Arezzo (he later became a Franciscan). For three years Margaret struggled
diligently against temptation. She was supported in her task by the counsel of
two friars, John da Castiglione and Giunta Bevegnati, who was her confessor and
later her biographer.
Now, under the severest
mortifications, Margaret began her mystical ascent. The wise Franciscans tried
to make the distraught woman modify her extreme grief and penances that
disfigured her body. Eventually Margaret's peace of mind returned. She began to
experience the love of Jesus and to believe that her sins had been forgiven.
Margaret earned her
living by nursing the ladies of Cortona, but later gave this up in order to
devote herself more fully to prayer and to the corporal work of mercy of caring
for the sick poor in her own small cottage. She lived in seclusion on the alms
of others. Any unbroken food that she received, she gave to the poor. For
herself and her son, Margaret kept only the scraps.
She wanted to become a
tertiary of the Friars Minor, but they made her wait for three years before
giving her the Franciscan habit. From the time she became a tertiary, Margaret
advanced rapidly in prayer and was drawn into very direct communion with her
God. Thus, her ecstatic life began in 1277. Christ set her up as an example to
sinners and her influence was amazing--many flocked to her for counsel.
She received from Christ
these words: "I have made you a mirror for sinners. From you will the most
hardened learn how willingly I am merciful to them, in order to save them. You
are a ladder for sinners, that they may come to me through your example. My
daughter, I have set you as a light in the darkness, as a new star that I give
to the world, to bring light to the blind, to guide back again those who have
lost the way, and to raise up those who are broken down under their sins. You
are the way of the despairing, the voice of mercy."
From near and far came
sin-plagued folk to hear from Margaret a word of comfort and counsel. Margaret
sent them to the Franciscans and particularly to her confessor, who was later
her biographer. When he complained that there were so many of these people,
Margaret heard the words: "Your confessor has forbidden you to send him so
many men and women who have been converted through your words and tears. He
said to you that he could not clean so many stables in one day. Say to him that
when he hears confession he does not clean stables, he prepares for me a
dwelling in the souls of the penitent."
Not only did the living
come to her, so did the dead. The illustrious penitent Margaret distinguished
herself by her charity to the suffering souls in Purgatory. They appeared to
her in great numbers to ask her assistance. One day she saw before her two travellers,
who begged her help to repair injustices they had committed: "We are two
merchants, who have been assassinated on the road by brigands. We could not go
to confession or receive absolution; but by the mercy of our Divine Savior and
His Holy Mother, we had the time to make an act of perfect contrition, and we
have been saved. But our torments in Purgatory are terrible, because in the
exercise of our profession we have committed many acts of injustice. Until
these acts are repaired we can have no repose nor alleviation. This is why we
beseech you, servant of God, to go and find such and such of our relatives and
heirs, to warn them to make restitution as soon as possible of all the money
which we have unjustly acquired." They gave the holy penitent the necessary
information and disappeared.
The communications
Margaret received did not all relate to herself. In one case she was told to
send a message to Bishop William of Arezzo, warning him to amend his ways and
to stop fighting with the people of his diocese and living like a worldly
prince and soldier rather than a shepherd of souls. Often Margaret was able to
mediate in factional disputes and make peace. In 1289, she strove to avert war
when Bishop William was again at strife with the Guelfs. Margaret went to him
in person but he would not listen. Ten days later he was killed in battle.
She established an
association of women to act as nurses and men to finance hospitals for the
poor. In 1286, Bishop William of Arezzo gave permission for a whole community
of women (whom she called the 'Poverelle') to develop her initiative on a
permanent basis. At first Margaret nursed the poor in her own home. Then a lady
named Diabella proved a house. The town councilors, at the urging of Uguccio
Casali, gave money with which Margaret founded a hospital, Spedale di Santa
Maria della Misericordia, for the poor dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy.
About 1289, false and
vicious rumors were spread about her relations to the friars. Father Giunta was
transferred to Siena, but it was later proven that the rumors were the evil
work of gossips, and the holiness of her life became apparent to all. Not only
did people come to her for counsel, but also for healing.
The more advanced
Margaret became spiritually, the greater were her self-imposed penances. By the
end of her life she slept very little and only on the bare ground; ate only
bread and raw vegetables with water to drink; wore a rough hair-shirt next to
her skin, and used the scourge freely on herself.
It is recorded that at
the time of her death at age 50, Margaret saw the many souls that she assisted
out of Purgatory form a procession to escort her to Heaven. God revealed this
favor granted the Saint Margaret through a holy person of Castello. This
servant of God, rapt in ecstasy at the moment of Margaret's death, saw her soul
in the midst of this brilliant cortège, and on recovering from her rapture,
related the vision to her friends.
On the day of her death,
after 29 years of doing penance, she was publicly proclaimed a saint. That same
year the citizens of Cortona began to build a church in her honor. All that is
left of this original church built by Nicholas and John Pisano is a window.
When the holy penitent
died, her corpse was embalmed and solemnly entombed. But people wished to see
and venerate the body more closely. Therefore, in 1456, it was taken out of its
old shrine, freed of all dust that could have seeped in, newly dressed, and
placed so that it was possible to take it out easily and expose it for
veneration. Her body is still preserved under the high altar of a new church of
which she is the titular patron. The edifice also contains a statue of her and
her dog by John Pisano (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Cuthbert, Delaney,
Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth, Martindale--Queen's Daughters, Mauriac,
Schamoni, Schouppe, Walsh, White).
In art, Saint Margaret
has a dog pulling at her dress and a skull or corpse at her feet. Sometimes she
may be shown (1) in a checkered habit, black cloak, and white veil; (2) with a
cross and scourge; (3) in an ecstasy with Christ appearing to her (Roeder); or
in ecstasy with angels supporting her (White).
She is the patroness of
penitent women (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0222.shtml
Interior
of the Roman Catholic parish church in Óbuda, Budapest
Saint
Margaret of Cortona, Penitent of the Third Order
Article
This great penitent, who
is called the “Magdalen of the Seraphic Order,” was born at Laviano, Tuscany,
in 1247. Her parents were well-to-do peasants. Her good mother sought, by word
and example, to instill into her heart the love of God and of heavenly things,
and, in spite of the natural levity and giddiness of her child, her efforts
were not in vain. But unfortunately, when her pious instructions were beginning
to bear fruit, and her child, then seven years old, was giving evidence of true
piety and virtue, she passed away, thus leaving the child to her own guidance.
And Margaret was so much in need of a guide and counselor. She was endowed by
nature with great gifts of body and soul. She possessed a quick understanding
combined with a lively imagination, and showed great dexterity in the
performance of the various labors proper to her sex. Her great personal beauty
was enhanced by a cheerful disposition and a kind and sympathetic feeling for
all, especially the suffering and needy. Such gifts of body and soul, unless
accompanied by humility and the fear of God, are the source of many dangers.
And thus it was with Margaret. The open admiration and the flattery offered her
from all sides, gradually opened her heart to vanity, especially as she saw
that she was envied, and she began to dream of honors and pleasures that would
come to her. As her own home did not afford her the pleasures she sought, she
longed to go out into the world. Her pious mother, who might have advised and
guided her during this critical time, was no more, and her stepmother, far from
showing her any love and sympathy, treated her with impatience and harshness,
and thus confirmed her in her levity and worldliness.
The vain and thoughtless
girl, at that time about seventeen years of age, at length entered the service
of a nobleman of Montepulciano, near Laviano. This man, making use of the weak
traits of her character, succeeded after some time by gifts and flattery, and,
as it seems, by promises of marriage, in seducing her, and for nine years, she
led a life of sin in the castle of Montepulciano, to the scandal of the people
of the surrounding country. During this whole time, however, she often lamented
her wretched condition with sighs and tears, and longed to break with sin and
to lead a life of virtue. But passion, vanity, and human respect held her
captive, until God by a sudden stroke of his Providence, enabled her to put an
end to her hesitation and to free herself from her shameful fetters.
The Lord of Montepulciano
one day made a journey into the neighboring country. Margaret awaited his
return for a whole day and night; but she waited in vain. At last, the favorite
hound of the Lord returned to the castle alone, and by whining and pulling at
her gown induced her to follow him. In a panic between hope and fear, she
followed the hound into a thick wood, and there a horrible spectacle presented
itself to her frightened eyes. Under a heap of leaves, lay the disfigured body
of her accomplice in sin, who had been murdered by his enemies. This terrible
sight, and the thought of the probable fate of the unhappy man in eternity,
filled her with the greatest fear of the divine judgments and with the greatest
loathing for her sins with which she had offended the most holy and just God
and scandalized her fellow men. She at once resolved to mend her ways and to
atone for her sins by penance.
After returning to the
family of the deceased all the jewels and the property he had given her, she
put on a penitential garb, and betook herself to Laviano, where she entreated
her father to admit her into his house. Touched with compassion at her misery,
he consented to receive her, but the opposition of the relentless stepmother
obliged him to send his daughter from his door.
In this severe trial,
made more severe by a terrible temptation to go back to her former life,
Margaret called upon God, who does not forsake the repentant sinner. By divine
inspiration, she went to Cortona, where, after making a general confession in
the church of the Franciscans, she placed herself under their guidance.
Thenceforth, she lived in
a small, secluded house, and gave herself up to prayer and works of penance, at
the same time gaining her livelihood by the labor of her hands. She often
begged with tears for the habit of the Third Order, but her request was granted
only after three years of the severest probation.
After her admission into
the Third Order, she practised the strictest poverty, begging her food from
door to door. With even greater fervor than before, she devoted herself to
almost uninterrupted prayer, and to works of the severest mortification. Her
bed was the bare floor; her ordinary food a little bread and water, and a few
raw herbs. At times her fervor would have led her into intemperate
self-mortification, if she had not been restrained by her prudent spiritual
adviser. This life of seclusion and penance did not hinder her from being
active in the service of others. She prevailed upon the inhabitants of Cortona
to found a hospital for the sick poor; she instituted a congregation of
Tertiary Sisters to nurse the sick; and established a confraternity of Our Lady
of Mercy, the members of which bound themselves to support the hospital and to
help the needy wherever found, particularly the respectable poor.
Margaret had to undergo
many and severe struggles with Satan, who assailed her with all his cunning,
but she always put him to flight with prayer, acts of humility and of
mortification.
The holy penitent having
thus triumphed over self and every earthly affection, received many
extraordinary proofs of God’s love. Thus, she was assured of the perfect
remission of her sins, and favored with visions, revelations, and intimate
conversations with our Savior. She could also read the secrets of hearts. She
sometimes reminded persons of sins which they had not confessed, and brought
them to repentance by her exhortations and prayers. Margaret had a tender
compassion for the poor souls in purgatory, and through her prayers and acts of
mortification many were delivered from their pains and admitted to the joys of
heaven. God performed many miracles through her intercession; the sick
recovered health, a dead boy was restored to life, and the evil spirits
trembled at her approach, and left the possessed.
At length, the great
penitent was called to her eternal reward after twenty-three years of severe
penance, in the fiftieth year of her age, on 22 February 1297. Her body was
enclosed in a costly shrine, and interred in the Franciscan church at Cortona,
which is dedicated to her name.
Her public veneration was
confirmed by several Popes, and she was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII, on 16
May 1728.
Reflection
How beautifully the love
and mercy of God towards the repentant sinner are exemplified in the life of
Saint Margaret of Cortona! For a number of years, she resisted the grace of
God, and gave herself up to sin; yet God did not abandon her. At the first sign
of repentance, he stretched out his hand and assisted her to rise from the
depths into which she had fallen. And how mercifully did he not continue to
assist her to overcome the assaults of the devil and to walk the path of
virtue! “The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plentiful in mercy.”
(Psalm 144:9) No matter how numerous and grievous the offences may be with which
the sinner has outraged the most holy God, they will be forgiven him if he
turns to God with a truly contrite heart; that is, if he is heartily sorry for
his sins, and is firmly determined to amend his life and to sin no more. Sin is
so great an evil, that, even if we should have had the misfortune of committing
only one, we ought daily to implore God’s pardon and perform works of penance.
Penance will obtain for us the special favor of God. and strengthen us against
the daily attacks of the enemy of our salvation.
MLA
Citation
Franciscan
Herald, February 1913. CatholicSaints.Info.
5 October 2022. Web. 23 February 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-margaret-of-cortona-penitent-of-the-third-order/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-margaret-of-cortona-penitent-of-the-third-order/
Among the Franciscan Tertiaries –
Saint Margaret of Cortona
Saint Margaret of Cortona in many respects presents a
contrast to Blessed Angela of Foligno. Both reached the same
spiritual goal within a few years of each other, in two small towns, though
Saint Margaret had none of Blessed Angela’s philosophical turn of mind. Neither
had she any of Angela’s power of analysis or literary expression, and almost
her only writings are a few admirable letters. In the case of Angela we almost
forget her life in her writings, whereas with Margaret it is her life upon
which our attention is fixed, for all her teaching is there. We are perhaps
inclined too often to think of the saints as beings radically different from
ourselves; and so in one sense they are, yet their power over us lies in the
fact that they are really so like us. In them divine grace conquers faults
which are exactly the same as ours, and out of the ordinary circumstances of
everyday life such as fall to the lot of each one of us they rise to triumphant
heights of sanctity. We are treading the same road as theirs at a lower level.
Besides being saints they are first of all great human beings, whose histories
are full of the struggles and sufferings, the joys and sorrows of our complex
human nature. The story of Saint Margaret touches us because she reached the
Divine Love through human love and disappointment and difficulty, and she is a
living example of those words of Saint Augustine: “Thou hast made us for Thyself,
and our heart cannot rest until it rests in Thee.”
She was born in 1247 at
Laviano, a hamlet near Cortona. Her father was a prosperous peasant, and she
had one brother, Bartolomeo. She was a naturally affectionate child and led a
happy life until her mother died when she was seven. In two years her father
married again, and she, who only asked to be loved, found harshness and
complete lack of sympathy in her stepmother. She does not seem to have shown
any precocious signs of sanctity, although she was certainly inclined to
religion. Finding her home unhappy, she sought the companionship of other boys
and girls of her own age, and threw herself, innocently enough, into whatever
amusement came her way. She was beautiful and had the gift of pleasing all who
knew her. She had no one to guide her, for after his marriage her father seems
to have neglected her, and she was therefore left alone to do much as she
liked. At seventeen she met a young nobleman of Montepulciano who fell
violently in love with her. He offered her jewels and persuaded her to meet him
secretly. He promised to marry her, for he assured her she had no need of a
dot, young and beautiful and full of life as she was. She, poor child, dazzled
by his admiration, and all too anxious to escape from her home, believed him
and consented to follow him to Montepulciano.
We know nothing for
certain of this lover of Saint Margaret. Unluckily her two biographers, Fra
Guinta Bevignati and Don Badia Ventura, were so anxious to insist upon the
sanctity of her later years that they remained almost completely silent about
her early life. Thus the name of this man is forgotten, his family or political
position; all that is sure is that he failed in his promise to marry the
beautiful and affectionate girl, though he succeeded in keeping her with him
for nine years. She loved him deeply, and no sting of conscience availed to
break the bonds which united them. One son was born to them. Margaret the
peasant girl had become the lady of the castle; she had fine clothes and
jewels, servants to wait on her. She was admired and flattered and yet she was
not happy. She says in her after years that her soul was unsatisfied. The sight
of a lily only reminded her of the purity she had lost, the smile of passers-by
seemed a reproach; above all, the memory of her mother arose in her heart to
condemn her. Earthly happiness had no power to satisfy her. “At Montepulciano I
lost honour, dignity, and peace, everything except faith.” Such was Margaret’s
own summary of those years.
Then suddenly the break
came. In 1274, the year in which Saint Bonaventure died, her lover went out one
morning and fell into the hands of assassins. Margaret was fetched to the spot
by his faithful little dog and found him in the wood, lying dead in all the strength
of his young manhood. There on his body she died to her former self, and rose
up only to live for God. Poor as she had arrived at Montepulciano, so she left
it, with her son, to return to Laviano, hoping to find shelter in her father’s
house. He, perhaps, might have taken his daughter back, but the implacable
dislike of her stepmother turned her and her child away from the door, to fend
for themselves as best they could.
It was a moment of
crisis. Margaret knew, only too well, that, beautiful as she was, it would be
easy enough to find a roof and a protector. There in the fields, beneath a fig
tree it is said, she faced the temptation and overcame it. She heard an interior voice bidding her go to Cortona
and seek out the Friars Minor, and so the girl of twenty-six and the child of
seven set out along the dusty road towards their unknown new life.
Cortona at that time was a walled mountain city like
many others of Central Italy, perpetually at war in defence of her
independence, and rent by local feuds. Only a few years earlier,
the patriot condottiere Ugo Casali had helped the Sienese to beat the
Florentines at Monteaperti. He had succeeded in restoring peace to Cortona,
building up the ramparts and establishing order within the walls. Saint Francis
had visited Cortona on one of his missions in 1221, and he had rested there on
his last journey back from La Verna to Assisi in the little hermitage of the
Celle. After the chapter of 1239, when Elias was forced to resign the post of
minister-general, largely through English influence, he retired to Cortona. His
ill-starred championship of the Emperor Frederick II only brought him
excommunication; but the last years of that powerful, turbulent spirit were
spent in restoring the Celle and building a new convent and church of Saint
Francis. At Cortona he died in 1253, reconciled to the Church, a humbled man,
begging for mercy. Whatever were the sins of Elias, he was the friend of saints
and, according to his lights, their follower. He seems to have always been torn
between the two sides of his own nature, one so overbearing, so un-Franciscan,
the other capable of that real devotion and love which dictated the beautiful
letter he sent out to the provincial ministers on the night of the death of
Saint Francis, and which he signed, “Elias, Sinner.”
The memory of Elias
naturally lived on at Cortona with that of Blessed Guido Vagnotelli, another of
the early brothers, and the Franciscan fraternity was the most active religious
element of the town.
When Margaret entered
Cortona that spring evening by the Porta Berarda she was homeless and
penniless, but two women, Marinaria and Raneria Moscari, chancing to meet her
in the street, took pity on her. They carried her and her child back to their
own house, and there she found friends and a home. The inner voice had directed
her to the Franciscans, and the Moscari ladies hastened to introduce her to the
friars. One of these, Fra Giunta Bevignati, a priest of great learning and
virtue, immediately became her director, and between them there grew up one of
those beautiful spiritual friendships which are possible between saints.
He seems to have realised
at once the responsibility of guiding such a soul, and from beginning to end of
her convert life his wisdom and help never failed her. Margaret felt for him
the deepest gratitude and affection, she encouraged and helped him when they
were both sorely persecuted, and many of her visions had a direct message for
him.
Fra Giunta in his
biography allows us to follow Margaret’s inner life step by step. She was a
simpler nature than Angela of Foligno, and we hear nothing of the struggles and
effort which were the cost of Angela’s conversion. From the moment that she
turned from the world she knew no hesitation, henceforth Saint Mary Magdalene
was her model, Saint Francis her patron. Like practically all souls of her
type, there were no limits to her repentance and love. Her whole being had
turned to God irrevocably and completely. A deep gulf separated her from her
past, yet it seemed to her that no penance, no mortification could sufficiently
express her remorse. Every day she sought new means of humiliation, new
penances, she denied her body everything. When her beauty seemed only to
increase she would have mutilated her face had not her confessor prevented it.
She conquered herself not only by extraordinary penances and self-inflicted
suffering but also by the simple, homely means of denying herself everything
she naturally liked, down to fresh figs. She wished to make a public confession
of her sins, and would have walked barefooted with a rope round her neck to
Montepulciano, had Fra Giunta allowed it. He would, however, only consent to
her appearing one Sunday at Laviano and asking forgiveness from her former
companions for the scandal she had caused. In her own eyes she was the basest
of criminals.
In reading of such
penance as Margaret’s it is easy to sweep it aside as medieval, forgetting that
it fulfills an unchanging need of the human heart. Thus only can certain souls
express their repentance for sin, their love for the Love they have wounded and
scorned. It is not the way down which the majority of Christians are asked to
go, but for certain souls it is the path today as it ever was in the past,
however much our comfort-loving age may shrink from the thought. If the
followers of Saint Francis are to be true to his spirit, then penance and joy
must go hand in hand. He was very hard on Brother Ass himself, though finally
he did beg forgiveness of his much-tried body. No human being has ever been
farther from a morbid craving for suffering than Saint Francis, and towards
others he was invariably indulgent and prudent. For him penance was the glad
expression of love, and that was what he wished it to be for his disciples. It
was certainly that for Saint Margaret.
Margaret by now was leading a life devoted to works of
charity, for the first impulse of her generous nature was to devote herself to
others. She
earned the daily bread for herself and her son by spinning, but there was soon
not a sick or needy person in Cortona who did not turn to her for help, knowing
they would never be refused. Her great desire was to be admitted to the Third
Order of Saint Francis, but the friars, knowing her past history, at first
would not consent, and for three years she was kept waiting, she who was such a
true lover of the Poverty of Christ. At last her wish was granted, and her
entry into the Order marked a new step in her life. She resolved henceforth to
live only by alms, to increase in mortification of self and loving service of
others. She considered her room in the Palazzo Moscari too comfortable, and
begged her friends to let her move to a poorer one near the church of San
Francesco. They understood and loved her well enough to consent. Here, in this
new cell, another sacrifice was asked of her which to her loving nature was an
agony. She felt that she must part with her twelve-year-old boy, that she must
send him away, both for his sake and her own, in obedience to the Divine Love
which filled her heart. He was sent to the Franciscans at Arezzo, and the last
tinge of self in her love for him was overcome. She gave him up to God, and
took as her children all the poor and sick of Cortona.
It was after her entry
into the Third Order that the visionary period of her life began. Her deeply
emotional and sensitive nature had immediately responded to the spiritual
influence, and now was the moment for all her mystical powers to develop. Her
life was a continual prayer, and she would spend hours before a crucifix in the
church of Saint Francis, weeping with Saint Francis over the Love that is not
loved. “My God who hast thus suffered for me, can it be that Thou wilt forgive
me?” she cried, and an audible Voice from the Cross answered her: “My poor
sinner, what dost thou desire?” “Lord Jesus, I seek only Thee, I desire only
Thee.” Such was the answer of love to Love, and a few days later Margaret
received the assurance that all her sins were washed away. She was told that
she would be raised to great heights of Love of God, not only for her own sake,
but to be an encouragement to all other sinners. She was to shine as a message
of hope to every soul which from afar turns back to God.
She was now constantly
seen by many witnesses raised in the air, in ecstasy often while praying in the
church. She lived in a constant vision of divine things, endowed with
extraordinary graces, such as the power of reading the hearts of others. As
though to counterbalance these spiritual joys, she became the prey of terrible
assaults of the devil. He tempted her to despair, to pride, filling her soul
with doubts and with the darkest suggestions. She triumphed over all, and at
last Christ appeared to her bringing her peace. Soon after this, when Margaret
had again humiliated herself in penance and contrition, she seems to have been
visited with a special sense of the joy of her filial relation to God. Then,
like Saint Catherine of Siena and others, she was raised to the sublime
experience of the Mystical Marriage. In the presence of the saints and angels
of Heaven, Christ came into the centre of her soul, uniting her to Himself. A
ring was placed on her finger, a crown of rubies on her head, and she heard His
Voice commanding the angels to give her the spirit of contemplation like Saint
Mary Magdalene, the love of the seraphim, the knowledge of the prophets, the
gift of miracles, while she promised only to live for His service and for the
glory of God.
“Margaret,” said the
Voice, “glorify Me and I will glorify thee, love Me and I will love thee, think
only of My interests and I will think of thine.” During all this time Margaret
was continually rejoiced by visions of Christ and especially of the Passion.
She also saw the throne of Lucifer in Heaven given to Saint Francis; she was in
constant sensible communion with the saints. Such graces she knew were sent to
strengthen her for a definite mission, to set the seal of God upon His human
instrument. She was called back from those moments of spiritual elation to
earthly things by one of the usual feuds which it seemed would inevitably drag
Cortona into war.
The Bishop of Arezzo,
Guglielmo Ubertini Pazzi, had usurped his see from its rightful owner, and he
was one of those partisans of the Emperor Frederick II who were far more given
to war than to any pastoral work for souls. Sword in hand, his chief concern
was the extension of his temporal power, and the liberty of Cortona was
seriously threatened. Margaret received in a vision the order to warn the
bishop that unless he desisted from his warlike career and signed a peace with
Cortona, the wrath of Heaven would fall upon him. At first she resisted. Who
was she, a poor sinner, to carry out such a mission? But it was confirmed in
another vision, and she obeyed. Such was her authority that, what is more, she
prevailed. The veteran patriot Ugo Casali and the converted peasant carried
through all the negotiations with Arezzo, persuaded the bishop to change his
mode of life and send away his mercenary troops, and thus peace was restored to
the Val di Chiana.
Another and graver
conflict between the emperor and the King of Sicily, about the sovereign rights
over the Marches of Ancona and Romagna, threatened to bring the horrors of war
over all the north of Italy, and again it was averted by the intercession of
Margaret.
In those years when Italy
was rent by war, caused chiefly by the ambition of Frederick II, Margaret
became an active apostle of peace, like that amazing child Saint Rose of
Viterbo. In Saint Rose’s short life of seventeen years she had opposed and
defeated the emperor. How? Literally by prayer and fasting. At the age of seven
she had offered herself to God as a victim for His Church, which was oppressed
by the imperial pride and domination. At ten, dressed in the habit of the Third
Order, standing on a stone in the market-place of Viterbo, she was preaching
penance and the Catholic Faith, and the Pope, whom the emperor had unjustly
dispossessed of the city, had no stronger champion than this gallant and
precocious child. She roused the people to a renewed spiritual life, which was
but the prelude to asserting their right to spiritual liberty. This Frederick
knew, and Rose and her family were banished to Suriano, where she continued her
preaching. Then suddenly Frederick died, and Pope Innocent IV and Rose returned
to Viterbo. Her mission was finished, the world needed her no more, and she died
in 1252. This intrepid girl had accomplished more than many a warrior; it was
said that even while she preached the doves flew round her head, and they were
her best-loved friends upon this earth.
Margaret’s mission was
not concentrated into one relatively short effort like Saint Rose’s. It was
more general, and after her entry into the Third Order in 1286 the Hospital of
Mercy inspired and founded by her was opened. She had given away all her poor
possessions down to her clothes, and one bitterly cold night found her left
with only a straw mat with which to cover herself. Her cell was empty of even
the barest necessaries, she gave her time, her health, herself, to relieving
the needs of others. Several devout souls had already gathered round her,
anxious to serve God under her direction, and they were united into a
congregation, keeping the Franciscan rule without any enclosure. Margaret’s
mystical gifts in no wise affected her excellent common sense and powers of
practical organisation, and the bishop approved this new Tertiary Sisterhood
which became known as that of the Poverelle. Those followers of Saint Margaret,
even more than those of Blessed Angela of Foligno, had all the characteristics
of a religious community, with the veil for a grille and the hospital for a
cloister. It was the first institution of its kind in the Third Order, and
already the more zealous Tertiaries felt the need of a community life apart
from the world. Later on, in the sixteenth century, these sisters with other
regular Tertiary foundations came under the special rule for the cloistered
Third Order. Saint Margaret and her sisters worked in conjunction with a
committee which was elected to look after the business side of the hospital
affairs. It fell to them to distribute the alms which were collected, more
especially to those “poveri vergognosi” who were ashamed to beg. In case of
civil feuds, all the friends of the congregation were to assemble under their
banner and to use all their efforts to re-establish peace. They were on no
account to interfere, or take sides as individuals, in any party strife.
About this time Saint
Margaret had the joy of seeing her son enter the Franciscan convent at Arezzo.
Thus the wish of her heart was realised that together they should walk along
the road shown by Saint Francis. On this occasion she wrote him a letter full
of wise counsel and that spiritual good sense which was always characteristic
of her. “My child,” she says, “may the Lord bless the service you have
undertaken. If you fight as a man among the soldiers of God and follow the
advice of your mother, she will love you more and more. First of all, in
Christ’s name cultivate the plant of humility in your soul, love all your
brethren with no exception or distinction, and respect the authority of your
superiors. Be grateful to God for all His mercies, and be modest with men,
never murmuring against any one. Avoid unnecessary contact with people in the
world as the rule bids you, and only seek the company of your brothers and men
of saintly life. Pray unceasingly with fervour and be always on your guard
against the snares of Satan. Open your conscience entirely to your confessor,
for the invalid cannot be cured if he will not show his wounds to the doctor.
Receive the advice of prudent men and respect and prefer it to your own
opinion. Recite carefully and completely the Office as ordained by our Holy
Mother the Church, and if a brother should blame you, put your knee to the
ground, uncover your head, and humbly acknowledge your fault. In every trial
fix your eyes upon the crucifix. Obey readily those who hold the place of God
over you. Keep the guard of your lips and speak briefly, circumspectly, and
gravely. Examine your thoughts before God, and in everything you do avoid all
that may displease Him. Finally, watch over the appetite of your senses, that
your heart may always belong to God. Read often this letter, observe exactly
what I have said, and keep it with you till your last breath, for it has been
dictated by your mother’s love.”
Could any letter be more
to the point? The visionary here becomes the most practical of guides, using no
ecstatic language, but that of sanctified common sense, tracing the path not
only for her son but for all who wish to lead a truly Christian life. We hear
but little of this son, or of Margaret’s companions. Fra Giunta leaves them all in shadow, and his concern
is with her ever-growing spiritual mission.
Neither the hospital she had founded nor the
sisterhood gathered round her was to be the final stage of Margaret’s religious
life. Hers
was another and deeper vocation. By now she was famous; numerous miracles were
attributed to her, and from far beyond the borders of Tuscany and Umbria people
came to seek her help. Fra Giunta devotes a long and interesting chapter to the
miraculous incidents of this period of her life, many of which were minutely
attested by the persons concerned. In the church of Saint Francis she had
numerous ecstasies, and like the Seraphic Father she had begged God that she
might, as far as she was able, enter into the Passion of Christ. She was
answered, that she too would be crucified in heart. During Maundy Thursday and
Good Friday she was wholly absorbed in the sufferings of Our Lord, unconscious
of her surroundings, while in spirit she followed each detail of the Passion
and Death of Christ. She felt all the desolation of the Blessed Virgin, Saint
Mary Magdalene, and the other holy women at the burial of Our Lord, and only
with the dawn of Easter did her joy return. These events were to her a living
experience, and Fra Giunta relates them with a simplicity which is more
eloquent than any rhetoric.
The sight of such
elevation of spirit naturally had an enormous influence on the people around
her. Margaret was able to pacify many warlike spirits, including the famous
Ghibelline leader, Guido da Montefeltro, who ended his life in the Franciscan
convent at Ancona. It was about this time (1288) that she received a new Divine
command. It was one of those orders which from the human stand-point seem
unnecessary, and yet by which alone the soul can be finally purified and the
work of God accomplished. She was told to leave her present cell, the church of
Saint Francis, the hospital, and her sisters, and retire to a miserable hut
higher up the mountain. It was revealed to her that there God would fulfill His
promise to crucify her in spirit. It was to be to her what La Verna had been to
Saint Francis, and she must leave all to follow the guiding hand of God.
Naturally her friends, and even the friars, were opposed to such an idea, but
she knew that for her obedience was the only way. Accompanied by one woman she
took possession of the dilapidated hut on the top of the hill on which Cortona
stands. How insignificant, outwardly, this change of dwelling for one obscure
Tertiary, and yet only by this could Margaret attain her full spiritual growth
and fulfill her mission, and the world at that moment needed all the help that
saints could give.
The outlook in Europe and
the East was dark indeed. The Crusades of Saint Louis had failed; he had died in
1270; the holy places of Palestine were in the hands of the infidels. They were
even threatening Europe, and no power seemed able to stop’ them. The crusading
spirit languished, although Nicholas IV, a man of indomitable energy, ordered
the Franciscans and Dominicans to preach for its revival. He sent ambassadors
to every court, whilst missionaries such as Giovanni di Montecorvino and
Blessed Oderic of Pordenone fought to establish the Cross in the remote
outposts of civilisation. While the Pope’s message sounded through Europe, in
her Tuscan hermitage God spoke to Margaret in a vision: “Go and be the angel of
peace and the apostle of My mercy.” She was to rouse the Franciscan Friars and
the local clergy to redouble their efforts in the cause of local peace and
missionary zeal. Too humble not to obey, Margaret went through the streets of
Cortona calling the people to penitence and peace.
Her appeal to her
fellow-citizens was not in vain, but the Bishop of Arezzo, Ubertini, this time
turned a deaf ear to her voice. He had gone back to his old rebellious ways
and, despite her entreaties and the command of the Pope, embarked on new
warfare. Not for long, however, for he fell at the Battle of Campaldino in
1289, when the Florentines routed the Ghibellines of Arezzo. “A great warrior”
was the judgment passed on him by Villani. Margaret failed with the bishop, as
the Pope failed to rekindle the spirit of the Crusades, for only King Edward of
England answered his appeal. Too late, however, for before the troops could be
mobilised and the expedition set sail, the Crescent was firmly established over
the holy places, and two hundred years of sacrifice and heroism seemed lost.
Margaret too was about to
enter the darkest trials of her life. She was now isolated on the hill-side;
but thanks to her efforts the deserted church of San Basilio, quite near her
retreat, was restored to divine worship, and a priest, Don Badia Ventura,
appointed to serve it. Unfortunately the woman who was her companion proved
most untrustworthy, and her dishonesty gave an opportunity to malicious tongues
and jealous hearts to attack Margaret herself. Calumny spread fast; she was
accused of every kind of hypocrisy, even sorcery, and the fickle wind of public
opinion veered round from admiration to scorn and hatred. She was execrated on
all sides, and even her friends doubted her. Her gift of prophecy was
withdrawn, and no miracle happened to help her. All that she had done for
Cortona in the past seemed forgotten. She bore it with fortitude and sweetness,
only praying that the evil her enemies did her might be changed for them into
blessings.
Fra Giunta took up her
defence, dismissed her unworthy attendant and put in her place the faithful and
devoted Suor Giulia; but even he could not stem the flood of popular feeling.
Indeed, he was to be a victim of it himself, for he was first of all forbidden
to see his penitent more than once a week, and finally sent away to Siena. This
was indeed a trial both to himself and Margaret. She must have felt that her
last human protector was removed, and he had to leave this woman, whom he alone
appreciated as she deserved, at the mercy of her enemies. With splendid courage
and trust in God they separated, and Don Badia became Margaret’s director and
the biographer of this part of her life. Thus were her human and even spiritual
affections crucified; but there was worse to come, for after the outward loss
of her friend came the inner loss of the sense of God. She who had enjoyed such
intimate union with Him was apparently left to herself, with no inner vision,
no consolation, no certainty even of her salvation; and surely only those who
know the divine consolations can understand what such a deprivation can mean.
She was then very near to Christ on the Cross. We only know that for over a
year she suffered this supreme martyrdom, during which her courage and faith
never failed.
Then suddenly one day the
darkness lifted and Margaret knew again the joy of the presence of God. He had
never left her, she was assured, but this earth is a place of trial, not for
the enjoyment of the delights of Paradise. “Ah, Lord,” answered the saint,
“nevertheless where Thou art is Paradise,” The light shone again in Margaret’s
heart; again she enjoyed the divine revelations, and in a series of visions
received various warnings and messages to those about her.
The friars of Cortona
were greatly distressed when in 1295 the hermitage of the Celle fell into the
hands of the “Fraticelli,” but the false mysticism of their most un-Franciscan
heresy was confronted with the true mystical strength of Saint Margaret. She
took an active part in the fight against them; and the revelations she received
from Our Lord coincide strikingly with Blessed Angela of Foligno’s words on the
subject of poverty and of the Order. In one vision she asked of Christ who
indeed in the Order was the true spiritual, and the answer came: “The true
disciple of Saint Francis is he who seeks above all to follow the virtues I
have shown, to be truthful and pure, because I am the Truth and Stainless
Purity. If he be a lay brother let him never lose the spirit of prayer, if a
priest or preacher let him be entirely devoted to his ministry and the care of
souls. The true disciple of Saint Francis is he who loves poverty for My sake
who lived in poverty, who is obedient, even as I obeyed My Father to the death
on the Cross, who is ready to suffer all, and who in the midst of humiliation
and trials suffers for love of Me, yet keeps his soul in peace and joy.”
Here is indeed the
authentic note of the spirit of Saint Francis. In the controversy raging in the
Order as to the interpretation of the rule, Saint Margaret takes her place with
the great spiritual souls who kept the true spirit alive for future generations
in the large Catholic sense. They saw the internal questions of the Order from
the wide apostolic point of view, and kept the balance between the two
conflicting parties. In these disturbances caused by the headstrong willfulness
of some of the zealots and the selfish laxity of many of their opponents, it
was mostly the barren leaves that fell from the Order, not living branches
capable of bearing new fruit.
Alas! that Ubertino da
Casale did not follow Margaret’s advice when he came to Cortona, and that his
zeal and desire for reform should have led him and Angelo Clareno, with their
followers, into fruitless wilds of barren revolt. It cannot be too much said
that there were great and holy men in the Spiritual Party, and that, being
human, many of the other friars needed only too sorely to be recalled to the
first ardour of their profession; but the spirit could not be renewed by the
way of open revolution, which was the remedy of the extreme Spirituals. That
led merely to the exaggeration of the Flagellants, and spiritual calamities such
as that of Fra Dolcino or Guido Segarelli.
After Ubertino da Casale,
Margaret also received the visit of Blessed Conrad of Offida, then an old man.
He was one of the great Franciscan contemplatives of the second generation, who
for a short time had joined the Celestine Hermits, but returned to the Friars
Minor. These two ardent lovers of poverty met in Margaret’s cell, and the night
afterwards, when Blessed Conrad was praying, he saw the mountain all lit up and
flames springing from one point on its side. He was still wondering whence the fire was, when he
heard a voice saying: “That point is the soul of Margaret who only seeks God.”
Margaret spent nine years in her cell on the hill
above Cortona, during which time her soul passed through its final purification
and rose to the ultimate height possible to her in this life of union with God.
More
than her work in the hospital, more than in directing her disciples, Margaret’s
vocation, like that of Saint Mary Magdalene, to whom she has so often been
compared, was at the feet of Christ in loving contemplation. From this retreat
she gave out generously to all of her own spiritual riches, but her active life
was over, her battle was finished; she was hidden with Christ in God.
She had written three
admirable letters to Fra Giunta during his absence in Siena, full of
encouragement of his preaching and apostolic work, and conveying to him her own
peace of mind. These two souls, who had been so beautifully united in a common
love and enthusiasm, were now to see each other again. Fra Giunta was sent back
to Cortona, thus fulfilling Margaret’s prophecy to him, made some years
earlier, that he should be with her when she was dying. She had long been
suffering from an abscess in her mouth, and it had been revealed to her that
when that ceased, as it now had done, the end would be at hand. She was reduced
to a miserable state of illness, yet she longed only for more suffering by
which to express her love and continue the work of saving souls. She lived in
an almost continuous visionary state, longing for her final release from earth;
but, in the words of Saint Francis, asking of Christ only to die for “love of
that Love, who for love of my love hast not refused to die.”
On 3 January 1297, an
angel brought her the welcome news that with the dawn of 22 February she would
be face to face with her Beloved. The devil made a final effort to tempt her to
despair, but his power over her was gone, and nothing now could shake her
peace. From 5 to 22 February she lived on the Sacred Host. She comforted and
encouraged the friars, the other Tertiaries, and all the people of Cortona, who
had now turned back to her and gathered round her bed. “The way of salvation is
easy,” she told them, “it is enough just to love.” She received the last
sacraments on 21 February, asking the pardon of all for her sins, and as the
angel had foretold, with the first light of dawn Margaret’s soul left this
earth. At the moment of
her death her soul was seen like a ball of fire in the sky surrounded by a
number of other souls whom her prayers had set free from Purgatory.
The authorities and people of Cortona, Laviano, and
the surrounding districts at once determined to honour their saint to the
utmost of their power. Angel of Peace and Mother of Orphans they
entitled her, and she whom they had at one time persecuted was carried to the
grave amidst general veneration. Her first friends, the Moscari ladies, were
there with Ugo Casali, now an old man and himself soon to die in the odour of
sanctity. At once a succession of miracles began, too long to treat of here,
but which has continued through the centuries. Cortona naturally took her for
its patroness, and the first stone of the church to be built in her honour was
laid in the year of her death.
Her story was painted by
Bufalmacco and Lorenzetti on the walls of San Basilio, the church she had
restored, and which afterwards passed into the hands of the Observants, a
reformed branch of the Friars Minor, founded by the Blessed Paolo Trinci in
1334. Leo X approved the cult of Blessed Margaret for the Order, Clement IX
inscribed her name in the Roman Martyrology, and finally, on 16 May, 1728, she
was canonised by Benedict XIII. He referred to her as the Saint Mary Magdalene
of the Franciscan Order, and one choir sang: “Many sins have been forgiven her,
for she loved much,” answered by another with the words: “I am my Beloved’s and
He has turned towards me. I have found Him whom I love; I hold Him and shall
never leave Him.”
It is as the penitent
lover, therefore, that Saint Margaret of Cortona shines in the Franciscan
Order. To the world she has shown once again what is the Love of God to the
returning sinner, and has carried the message of peace and forgiveness to how
many troubled hearts and desolate lives.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/among-the-franciscan-tertiaries-saint-margaret-of-cortona/
Saints for Sinners – Saint Margaret
of Cortona, The Second Magdalene
They were stirring times in Tuscany when Margaret was
born. They
were the days of Manfred and Conradin, of the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Italy,
when passions of every kind ran high, and men lived at great extremes. They
were times of great sinners, but also of great saints; Margaret lived to hear
of the crowning and resignation of Saint Celestine V, whose life and death are
a vivid commentary on the spirits that raged throughout that generation. It was
the age of Saint Thomas in Paris, of Dante in Florence; of Cimabue and Giotto;
of the great cathedrals and universities. In Tuscany itself, apart from the
coming and going of soldiers, now of the Emperor, now of the Pope, keeping the
countryside in a constant state of turmoil, and teaching the country-folk their
ways, there were forever rising little wars among the little cities themselves,
which were exciting and disturbing enough. For instance, when Margaret was a
child, the diocese in which she lived, Chiusi, owned a precious relic, the ring
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An Augustinian friar got possession of this relic,
and carried it off to Perugia. This caused a war, Chiusi and Perugia fought for
the treasure and Perugia won. Such was the spirit of her time, and of the
people among whom she was brought up.
It was also a time of the
great revival; when the new religious orders had begun to make their mark, and
the old ones had renewed their strength. Franciscans and Dominicians had
reached down to the people, and every town and village in the country had responded
to their call to better things. Saint Francis of Assisi had received the
stigmata on Mount Alverno twenty years before, quite close to where Margaret
was born; Saint Clare died not far away, when Margaret was four years old. And
there was the opposite extreme, the enthusiasts whose devotion degenerated into
heresy. When Margaret was ten there arose in her own district the Flagellants,
whose processions of men, women, and children, stripped to the waist and
scourging themselves to blood, must have been a not uncommon sight to her and
her young companions.
Margaret was born in
Laviano, a little town in the diocese of Chiusi. Her parents were working
people of the place; their child was very beautiful, and in their devotion, for
she was the only one, they could scarcely help but spoil her. Thus from the
first Margaret, as we would say, had much against her; she grew up very willful
and, like most spoilt children, very restless and dissatisfied. Very soon her
father’s cottage was too small for her; she needed companions; she found more
life and excitement in the streets of the town. Next, in course of time the
little town itself grew too small; there was a big world beyond about which she
came to know, and Margaret longed to have a part in it. Moreover she soon
learned that she could have a part in it if she chose. For men took notice of
her, not only men of her own station and surroundings, whom she could bend to
her will as she pleased; but great and wealthy men from outside, who would
sometimes ride through the village, and notice her, and flatter her for her
beautiful face. They would come again; they were glad to make her acquaintance,
and sought to win her favor. Margaret quickly learned that she had only to
command, and there were many ready to obey.
While she was yet very
young her mother died; an event which seemed to deprive her of the only
influence that had hitherto held her in check. Margaret records that she was
taught by her mother a prayer she never forgot: “O Lord Jesus, I beseech you,
grant salvation to all those for whom you wouldst have me pray.” To make
matters worse her father married again. He was a man of moods, at one time weak
and indulgent, at another violent to excess, and yet with much in him that was
lovable, as we shall have reason to see. But with the step-mother there was
open and continued conflict. She was shocked at Margaret’s willfulness and
independence, and from her first coming to the house was determined to deal
with them severely. Such treatment was fatal to Margaret. As a modern student
has written of her: “Margaret’s surroundings were such as to force to the
surface the weaknesses of her character. As is clear from her own confessions,
she was by nature one of those women who thirst for affection, in whom to be
loved is the imperative need of their lives. She needed to be loved that her
soul might be free, and in her home she found not what she wanted. Had she been
of the weaker sort, either morally or physically, she would have accepted her
lot, vegetated in spiritual barrenness, married eventually a husband of her
father’s choice, and lived an uneventful life with a measure of peace.”
As it was she became only
the more willful and reckless. If there was not happiness for her, either at
home or elsewhere, there was pleasure and, with a little yielding on her part,
as much of it as she would. In no long time her reputation in the town was one
not to be envied; before she was seventeen years of age she had given herself
up to a life of indulgence, let the consequences be what they might.
Living such a life it
soon became evident that Margaret could not stay in Laviano. The circumstances
which took her away are not very clear; we choose those which seem the most
satisfactory. A certain nobleman, living out beyond Montepulciano, which in
those days was far away, was in need of a servant in his castle. Margaret got
the situation, there at least she was free from her step-mother and, within
limits, could live as she pleased. But her master was young, and a sporting
man, and no better than others of his kind. He could not fail to take notice of
the handsome girl who went about his mansion, holding her head high as if she
scorned the opinions of men, with an air of independence that seemed to belong
to one above her station. He paid her attention; he made her nice presents, he
would do her kindnesses even while she served him. And on her side, Margaret
was skilled in her are; she was quick to discover that her master was as
susceptible to her influence as were the other less distinguished men with whom
she had done as she would in Laviano. Moreover this time she was herself
attracted; she knew that this man loved her, and she returned it in Iner way.
Tliere were no otiier competitors in the field to distract her; there was no
mother to warn her, no step-mother to abuse her. Soon Margaret found herself
installed in the castle, not as her master’s wife, for convention would never
allow that, but as his mistress, which was more easily condoned. Some day, he
had promised her, they would be married, but the day never came. A child was
born, and with that Margaret settled down to the situation.
For some years she
accepted her lot, though every day what she had done grew upon her more and
more. Apart from the evil life she was living, her liberty loving nature soon
found that instead of freedom she had secured only slavery. The restless early
days in Laviano seemed, in her present perspective, less unhappy than she had
thought; the poverty and restraint of her father’s cottage seemed preferable to
the wealth and chains of gold she now endured. In her lonely hours, and they
were many, the memory of her mother came up before her, and she could not look
her shadow in the face. And with that revived the consciousness of sin, which
of late she had defied, and had crushed down by sheer reckless living, but
which now loomed up before her like a haunting ghost. She saw it all, she hated
it all, she hated herself because of it, but there was no escape. It was all
misery, but she must endure it; she had made her own bed, and must henceforth
lie upon it. In her solitary moments she would wander into the gloom of the
forest, and there would dream of the life that might have been, a life of
virtue and of the love of God. At her castle gate she would be bountiful; if
she could not be happy herself, at least she could do something to help others.
But for the rest she was defiant. She went about her castle with the airs of an
unbeaten queen. None should know, not even the man who owned her, the agony
that gnawed at her heart. From time to time there would come across her path
those who had pity for her. They would try to speak to her, they would warn her
of the risk she was running; but Margaret, with her every ready wit, would
laugh at their warnings and tell them that some day she would be a saint.
So things went on for
nine years, till Margaret was twenty-seven. On a sudden there came an
awakening. It chanced that her lord had to go away on a distant journey; in a
few days, when the time arrived for his return, he did not appear. Instead
there turned up at the castle gate his favorite hound, which he had taken with
him. As soon as it had been given admittance it ran straight to Margaret’s
room, and there began to whine about her, and to tug at her dress as if it
would drag her out of the room. Margaret saw that something was wrong.
Anxious, not daring to
express to herself her own suspicions, she rose and followed the hound wherever
it might lead; it drew her away down to a forest a little distance from the
castle walls. At a point where a heap of faggots had been piled, apparently by
wood-cutters, the hound stood still, whining more than ever, and poking beneath
the faggots with its nose. Margaret, all trembling, set to work to pull the
heaps away; in a hole beneath lay the corpse of her lord, evidently some days
dead, for the maggots and worms had already begun their work upon it.
How he had come to his
death was never known; after all, in those days of high passions, and family
feuds, such murders were not uncommon. The careful way the body had been buried
suggested foul play; that was all. But for Margaret the sight she saw was of
something more than death. The old faith within her still lived, as we have
already seen, and now insisted on asking questions. The body of the man she had
loved and served was lying there before her, but what had become of his soul?
If it had been condemned, and was now in hell, who was, in great part at least,
responsible for its condemnation? Others might have murdered his body, but she
had done infinitely worse Moreover there was herself to consider. She had known
how, in the days past, she had stirred the rivalry and mutual hatred of men on
her account and had gloried in it who knew but that this deed had been done by
some rival because of her? Or again, her body might have been lying there where
his now lay, her fatal beauty being eaten by worms, and in that case where
would her soul then have been? Of that she could have no sort of doubt. Her
whole life came up before her, crying out now against her as she had never
before permitted it to cry. Margaret rushed from the spot, beside herself in
this double misery, back to her room, turned in an instant to a
torture-chamber.
What should she do next?
She was not long undecided. Though the castle might still be her home, she
would not stay in it a moment longer. But where could she go? There was only
one place of refuge that she knew, only one person in the world who was likely
to have pity on her. Though her father’s house had been disgraced in the eyes
of all the village by what she had done, though the old man all these years had
been bent beneath the shame she had brought upon him, still there was the
memory of past kindness and love which he had always shown her. It was true
sometimes he had been angry, especially when others had roused him against her
and her ways; but always in the end, when she had gone to him, he had forgiven
her and taken her back. She would arise and go to her father, and would ask him
to forgive her once more; this time in her heart she knew she was in earnest —
even if he failed her she would not turn back. Clothed as she was, holding her
child in her arms, taking no heed of the spectacle she made, she left the
castle, tramped over the ridge and down the valley to Laviano, came to her
father’s cottage, found him within alone and fell at his feet, confessing her
guilt, imploring him with tears to give her shelter once again.
The old man easily
recognized his daughter. The years of absence, the fine clothes she wore, the
length of years which in some ways had only deepened the striking lines of her
handsome face, could not take from his heart the picture of the child of whom
once he had been so proud. To forgive was easy; it was easy to find reasons in
abundance. Had he not indulged her in the early days, perhaps she would never
have fallen. Had he made home a more satisfying place for a child of so
yearning a nature, perhaps she would never have gone away. Had he been a more
careful guardian, had he protected her from those who had lured her into evil
ways long ago, she would never have wandered so far, would never have brought
this shame upon him and upon herself. She was repentant, she wished to make
amends, she had proved it by this renunciation, she showed she loved and
trusted him; he must give her a chance to recover. If he did not give it to
her, who would?
So the old man argued
with himself, and for a time his counsel prevailed. Margaret with her child was
taken back; if she would live quietly at home the past might be lived down. But
such was not according to Margaret’s nature. She did not wish the past to be
forgotten, it must be atoned. She had done great evil, she had given great
scandal; she must prove to God and man that she had broken with the past, and
that she meant to make amends. The spirit of fighting sin by public penance was
in the air; the Dominican and Franciscan missionaries preached it, there were
some in her neighborhood who were carrying it to a dangerous extreme. Margaret
would let all the neighbors see that she did not shirk the shame that was her
due. Every time she appeared in the church it was with a rope of penance round
her waist; she would kneel at the church door that all might pass her by and
despise her; since this did not win for her the scorn she desired, one day,
when the people were gathered for mass, she stood up before the whole
congregation and made public confession of the wickedness of her life.
But this did not please
her old father. He had hoped she would lie quiet and let the scandal die;
instead she kept the memory of it always alive. He had expected that soon all
would be forgotten; instead she made of herself a public show. In a very short
time his mind towards her changed. Indulgence turned to resentment, resentment
to bitterness, bitterness to something like hatred. Besides, there was another
in the house to be reckoned with; the step-mother, who from her first coming
there had never been a friend of Margaret. She had endured her return because,
for the moment, the old man would not be contradicted, but she had bided her
time. Now when he wavered she brought her guns to bear; to the old man in
secret, to Margaret before her face, she did not hesitate to use every argument
she knew. This hussy who had shamed them all in the sight of the whole village
had dared to cross her spotless threshold, and that with a baggage of a child
in her arms. How often when she was a girl had she been warned where her
reckless life would lead her! When she had gone away, in spite of every appeal,
she had been told clearly enough what would be her end. All these years she had
continued, never once relenting, never giving them a sign of recognition,
knowing very well the disgrace she had brought upon them, while she enjoyed
herself in luxury and ease. Let her look to it; let her take the consequences.
That house had been shamed enough; it should not be shamed any more, by keeping
such a creature under its roof. One day when things had reached a climax,
without a word of pity Margaret and her child were driven out of the door. If
she wished to do penance, let her go and join the fanatical Flagellants, who
were making such a show of themselves not far away.
Margaret stood in the
street, homeless, condemned by her own, an outcast. Those in the town looked on
and did nothing; she was not one of the kind to whom it was either wise or safe
to show pity, much less to take her into their own homes. And Margaret knew it;
since her own father had rejected her she could appeal to no one else; she
could only hide her head in shame, and find refuge in loneliness in the open
lane. But what should she do next? For she had not only herself to care for;
there was also the child in her arms. As she sat beneath a tree looking away
from Laviano, her eyes wandered up the ridge on which stood Montepulciano. Over
that ridge was the bright, gay world she had left, the world without a care,
where she had been able to trample scandal underfoot and to live as a queen.
There she had friends who loved her; rich friends who had condoned her
situation, poor friends who had been beholden to her for the alms she had given
them. Up in the castle there were still wealth and luxury waiting for her, and
even peace of a kind, if only she would go back to them. Besides, from the
castle what good she could do! She was now free; she could repent in silence
and apart; with the wealth at her disposal she could help the poor yet more.
Since she had determined to change her life, could she not best accomplish it
up there, far away from the sight of men? On the other hand, what was she doing
here? She had tried to repent, and all her efforts had only come to this; she
was a homeless outcast on the road, with all the world to glare at her as it
passed her by. Among her own people, even if in the end she were forgiven and
taken back, she could never be the same again. Then came a further thought. She
knew herself well by this time. Did she wish that things should be the same
again? In Laviano, among the old surroundings which she had long outgrown,
among peasants and laborers whom she had long left behind, was it not likely
that the old boredom would return, more burdensome now that she had known the
delights of freedom? Would not the old temptations return, had they not
returned already, had they not been with her all the time, and with all her
good intentions was it not certain that she would never be able to resist? Then
would her last state be worse than her first. How much better to be prudent, to
take the opportunity as it was offered, perhaps to use for good the means and
the gifts she had hitherto used only for evil? Thus, resting under a tree in
her misery, a great longing came over Margaret, to have done with the penitence
which had all gone wrong, to go back to the old life where all had gone well,
and would henceforth go better, to solve her problems once and for all by the
only way that seemed open to her. That lonely hour beneath the tree was the
critical hour of her life.
Happily for her, and for
many who have come after her, Margaret survived it: “I have put you as a
burning light,” Our Lord said to her later, “to enlighten those who sit in the
darkness. — I have set you as an example to sinners, that in you they may
behold how my mercy awaits the sinner who is willing to repent; for as I have
been merciful to you, so will I be merciful to them.” She had made up her mind
long ago, and she would not go back now. She shook herself and rose to go; but
where? The road down which she went led to Cortona; a voice within her seemed
to tell her to go thither. She remembered that at Cortona was a monastery of
Franciscans. It was famous all over the countryside; Brother Elias had built
it, and had lived and died there; the friars, she knew, were everywhere
described as the friends of sinners. She might go to them; perhaps they would
have pity on her and find her shelter. But she was not sure. They would know
her only too well, for she had long been the talk of the district, even as far
as Cortona; was it not too much to expect that the Franciscan friars would so
easily believe in so sudden and complete a conversion? Still she could only try;
at the worst she could but again be turned into the street, and that would be
more endurable from them than the treatment she had just received in Laviano.
Her fears were mistaken.
Margaret knocked at the door of the monastery, and the friars did not turn her
away. They took pity on her; they accepted her tale though, as was but to be
expected, with caution. She made a general confession, with such a flood of
tears that those who witnessed it were moved. It was decided that Margaret was,
so far at least, sincere and harmless, and they found her a home. They put her
in charge of two good matrons of the town, who spent their slender means in
helping hard cases and who undertook to provide for her. Under their roof she
began in earnest her life of penance. Margaret could not do things by halves;
when she had chosen to sin she had defied the world in her sinning, now that
she willed to do penance she was equally defiant of what men might think or
say. She had reveled in rich clothing and jewels; henceforth, so far as her
friends would permit her, she would clothe herself literally in rags. She had
slept on luxurious couches; henceforth she would lie only on the hard ground.
Her beauty, which had been her ruin, and the ruin of many others besides, and
which even now, at twenty-seven, won for her many a glance of admiration as she
passed down the street, she was determined to destroy. She cut her face, she
injured it with bruises, till men would no longer care to look upon her. Nay,
she would go abroad, and where she had sinned most she would make most amends.
She would go to Montepulciano; there she would hire a woman to lead her like a
beast with a rope round her neck, and cry: “Look at Margaret, the sinner.” It
needed a strong and wise confessor to keep her within bounds.
Nor was this done only to
atone for the past. For years the old cravings were upon her; they had taken
deep root and could not at once be rooted out; even to the end of her life she
had reason to fear them. Sometimes she would ask herself how long she could
continue the fight; sometimes it would be that there was no need, that she
should live her life like ordinary mortals.
Sometimes again, and this
would often come from those about her, it would be suggested to her that all
her efforts were only a proof of sheer pride. In many ways we are given to see
that with all the sanctity and close union with God which she afterwards
attained, Margaret to the end was very human; she was the same Margaret,
however chastened, that she had been at the beginning. “My father,” she said to
her confessor one day, “do not ask me to give in to this body of mine. I cannot
afford it. Between me and my body there must needs be a struggle until death.”
The rest of Margaret’s
life is a wonderful record of the way God deals with his penitents. There were
her child and herself to be kept, and the fathers wisely bade her earn her own
bread. She began by nursing; soon she confined her nursing to the poor, herself
living on alms. She retired to a cottage of her own; here, like Saint Francis
before her, she made it her rule to give her labor to whoever sought it, and to
receive in return whatever they chose to give. In return there grew in her a
new understanding of that craving for love which had led her into danger. She
saw that it never would be satisfied here on earth; she must have more than
this world could give her or none at all. And here God was good to her. He gave
her an intimate knowledge of Himself; we might say He humored her by letting
her realize His love. His care. His watchfulness over her. With all her fear of
herself, which was never far away, she grew in confidence because she knew that
now she was loved by one who would not fail her. This became the character of
her sanctity, founded on that natural trait which was at once her strength and
her weakness.
And it is on this
account, more than on account of the mere fact that she was a penitent, that
she deserves the title of the Second Magdalene. Of the first Magdalene we know
this, that she was an intense human being, seeking her own fulfillment at
extremes, now in sin, now in repentance regardless of what men might think,
uniting love and sorrow so closely that she is forgiven, not for her sorrow so
much as for her love. We know that ever afterwards it was the same; the thought
of her sin never kept her from her Lord, the knowledge of His love drew her
ever closer to Him, till, after Calvary, she is honored the first among those
to whom He would show Himself alone. And in that memorable scene we have the
two traits which sum her up; He reveals Himself by calling her by her name:
“Mary,” and yet, when she would cling about His feet, as she had done long
before, He bids her not to touch Him. In Margaret of Cortona the character, and
the treatment, are parallel. She did not forget what she had been; but from the
first the thought of this never for a moment kept her from Our Lord.
She gave herself to
penance, but the motive of her penance, as her revel- ations show, was love
more than atonement. In her extremes of penance she had no regard for the
opinions of men; she would brave any obstacle that she might draw the nearer to
Him. At first He humored her; He drew her by revealing to her His appreciation
of her love; He even condescended so far as to call her “Child,” when she had
grown tired of being called “Poverella.” But later, when the time for the
greatest graces came, then He took her higher by seeming to draw more apart; it
was the scene of “Noli me tangere” repeated [John 20:17 – “Do not touch me”:
Jesus to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection] .
This must suffice for an
account of the wonderful graces and revelations that were poured out on
Margaret during the last twenty-three years of her life. She came to Cortona as
a penitent when she was twenty-seven. For three years the Franciscan fathers
kept her on her trial, before they would admit her to the Third Order of Saint
Francis. She submitted to the condition; during that time she earned her bread,
entirely in the service of others. Then she declined to earn it; while she
labored in service no less, she would take in return only what was given to her
in alms. Soon even this did not satisfy her; she was not content till the half
of what was given her in charity was shared with others who seemed to her more
needy. Then out of this there grew other things, for Margaret had a practical
and organizing mind. She founded institutions of charity, she established an
institution of ladies who would spend themselves in the service of the poor and
suffering. She took a large part in the keeping of order in that turbulent
countryside; even her warlike bishop was compelled to listen to her, and to
surrender much of his plunder at her bidding. Like Saint Catherine of Siena
after her, Margaret is a wonderful instance, not only of the mystic combined
with the soul of action, but more of the soul made one of action because it was
a mystic, and by means of its mystical insight.
Margaret died in 1297,
being just fifty years of age. Her confessor and first biographer tells us that
one day, shortly before her death, she had a vision of Saint Mary Magdalene,
“most faithful of Christ’s apostles, clothed in a robe as it were of silver,
and crowned with a crown of precious gems, and surrounded by the holy angels.”
And whilst she was in this ecstasy Christ spoke to Margaret, saying: “My
Eternal Father said of Me to the Baptist: This is My beloved Son; so do I say
to you of Magdalene: This is my beloved daughter.” On another occasion we are
told that “she was taken in spirit to the feet of Christ, which she washed with
her tears as did Magdalene of old; and as she wiped His feet she desired
greatly to behold His face, and prayed to the Lord to grant her this favor.”
Thus to the end we see she was the same; and yet the difference!
They buried her in the
church of Saint Basil in Cortona. Around her body, and later at her tomb, her
confessor tells us that so many miracles, physical and spiritual, were worked
that he could fill a volume with the record of those which he personally knew
alone. And today Cortona boasts of nothing more sacred or more treasured than
that same body, which lies there still incorrupt, after more than six
centuries, for everyone to see.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-for-sinners-saint-margaret-of-cortona-the-second-magdalene/
Basilica
of Santa Margherita, Cortona
February 22
St. Margaret of Cortona, Penitent
From her life written by her confessor, in the Acta Sanctorum; by Bollandus, p. 298. Wadding, Annal. FF. Minorum ad an. 1297; and the Lives of the Saints of the Third Order by Barb. t. 1. p. 508.
A.D. 1297
MARGARET was a native of Alviano, in Tuscany. The harshness of a step-mother,
and her own indulged propensity to vice, cast her headlong into the greatest
disorders. The sight of the carcase of a man, half putrified, who had been her
gallant, struck her with so great a fear of the divine judgments, and with so
deep a sense of the treachery of this world, that she in a moment became a
perfect penitent. The first thing she did was to throw herself at her father’s
feet, bathed in tears, to beg his pardon for her contempt of his authority and
fatherly admonitions. She spent the days and nights in tears, and to repair the
scandal she had given by her crimes, she went to the parish church of Alviano,
with a rope about her neck, and there asked public pardon for them. After this
she repaired to Cortona, and made her most penitent confession to a father of
the Order of St. Francis, who admired the great sentiments of compunction with
which she was filled, and prescribed her austerities and practices suitable to
her fervour. Her conversion happened in the year 1274, the twenty-fifth of her
age. She was assaulted by violent temptations of various kinds, but
courageously overcame them, and after a trial of three years, was admitted to
her profession among the penitents of the third Order of St. Francis, in
Cortona. The extraordinary austerities with which she punished her criminal
flesh soon disfigured her body. To exterior mortification she joined all sorts
of humiliations; and the confusion with which she was covered at the sight of
her own sins, pushed her on continually to invent many extraordinary means of
drawing upon herself all manner of confusion before men. This model of true
penitents, after twenty-three years spent in severe penance, and twenty of them
in the religious habit, being worn out by austerities, and consumed by the fire
of divine love, died on the 22nd of February, in 1297. After the proof of many
miracles, Leo X. granted an office in her honour to the city of Cortona, which
Urban VIII. extended to the whole Franciscan Order, in 1623, and she was
canonized by Benedict XIII. in 1728.
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume II: February. The
Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/2/222.html
Antiguo
Convento de San Pedro de Alcántara (Sevilla).
La
santa italiana perteneció a la Orden Tercera Franciscana.
Santa Margherita da
Cortona Religiosa
Laviano, Perugia, 1247 –
Cortona, Arezzo, 22 febbraio 1297
Nata a Laviano (Perugia)
nel 1247, diciottenne va a convivere con un giovane nobile di Montepulciano,
che non la sposa neppure quando nasce un figlio, e che muore assassinato nove
anni dopo. (La tradizione racconta di un cagnolino che la guida a ritrovarlo
cadavere, in un bosco). Allontanata dai parenti dell'uomo e dalla propria
famiglia trova accoglienza a Cortona. Lavora come infermiera per le
partorienti, educa il figlio, che si farà poi francescano, e si dedica agli
ammalati poveri. Prende con sé alcune volontarie che si chiameranno
«Poverelle», promuove l'assistenza gratuita a domicilio, si fa aiutare da
famiglie importanti e nel 1278 fonda l'ospedale della Misericordia. Vive un
periodo da contemplativa e una domenica ricompare a Laviano, per raccontare in
chiesa, durante la Messa, le sue vicende giovanili, e per chiedere perdono. A
Cortona spesso la gente va da lei, nella cella presso la Rocca dove si è
stabilita nel 1288: chiede il suo intervento nelle contese cittadine e nelle
lotte con altre città. Nel 1289 Margherita è tra coloro che danno vita alla
Confraternita delle Laudi. Morirà a Cortona nel 1297. (Avvenire)
Patronato: Prostitute
pentite
Etimologia: Margherita
= perla, dal greco e latino
Martirologio
Romano: A Cortona in Toscana, santa Margherita, che, fortemente scossa
dalla morte del suo amante, lavò con una salutare vita di penitenza le macchie
della sua giovinezza e, accolta nel Terz’Ordine di san Francesco, si ritirò
nella mirabile contemplazione delle realtà celesti, ricolmata da Dio con
superiori carismi.
Nulla è perduto, se si
ama davvero: si può così sintetizzare l’esperienza avventurosa e peccatrice di
Santa Margherita da Cortona, che, proprio grazie all’amore, riesce a dare una
svolta alla propria vita fino a raggiungere le vette del misticismo e della
carità più pura ed illuminata. Nasce nel 1247 a Laviano, un paesino a mezza
strada tra Montepulciano e Cortona, in una povera famiglia contadina. Orfana di
mamma, viene allevata da una matrigna gelosa e bisbetica, in mezzo a
maltrattamenti ed angherie. Bellissima e, per questo, ammirata e corteggiata, a
18 anni scappa di casa per realizzare il suo sogno d’amore con un giovane
nobile di Montepulciano. Che le spalanca le porte del suo castello e la fa sua
amante per nove anni, ma che non la sposa, nemmeno quando dalla loro unione
nasce un figlio. Il giovanotto non doveva essere neppure uno stinco di santo,
se è vero che muore assassinato e la leggenda narra che sia stato un cagnolino
(con il quale viene comunemente raffigurata nelle immagini) ad aiutare
Margherita a ritrovarne il cadavere. Ovvio che la famiglia di lui, all’indomani
del funerale, la cacci sdegnosamente di casa e così Margherita, da un giorno
all’altro, passa dalle agiatezze di una vita mondana e dispendiosa alle misere
condizioni di una ragazza madre, senza un tetto e senza di che mangiare. Dato
che neppure si può parlare di tornare a casa sua, da dove è già fuggita una
volta e dove tutti si vergognano della sua vita peccaminosa, qualche biografo
sostiene che Margherita arrivi a prostituirsi per sbarcare il lunario, e non ci
sarebbe proprio di che stupirsi, viste le sue condizioni e l’assoluta mancanza
di valori. Va a stabilirsi a Cortona, trovando una casa e un lavoro come
ostetrica, e qui avviene la sua metamorfosi. Conquistata dall’ideale
francescano, si dedica agli ammalati poveri, visitandoli e curandoli a
domicilio, scoprendo in se stessa una volontà e un talento di organizzatrice
che neppure lei sapeva di possedere. Raduna attorno a sé un gruppo di
volontarie e insieme a loro organizza una rete fittissima di carità per
chiunque ha bisogno di aiuto. Riesce a contagiare nel suo progetto caritativo
le famiglie nobili della zona, che mettono a sua disposizione somme ingenti con
le quali, già nel 1278; riesce ad aprire il primo ospedale per i poveri di
Cortona. L’assistenza è assicurata dalla confraternita delle Poverelle e dai
Mantellati, per la quale ha scritto gli Statuti di chiara impronta francescana
ed alla quale, soprattutto, offre la testimonianza della sua vita interamente
votata ai più deboli. Scende in piazza, quando è necessario, per pacificare gli
animi e per rasserenare il turbolento clima politico del suo tempo, ma,
soprattutto, Margherita si dedica ad una intensa preghiera e ad una grande
penitenza, che la portano alle più alte vette della mistica, nella Rocca sopra
Cortona, dove ha ricavato una piccola cella in cui vive gli ultimi anni in
meditazione e solitudine. Qui l’ex concubina muore il 22 febbraio 1297, ad
appena 50 anni. Ci vogliono più di 4 secoli prima che la Chiesa la proclami
santa, nel 1728, ad opera di Benedetto XIII, e Margherita diventa così una
gloria dell’Ordine Francescano e la patrona di Cortona, che da sette secoli
custodisce il suo corpo incorrotto.
Autore: Gianpiero Pettiti
Di straordinaria bellezza
ma abbandonata da tutti perché ragazza madre (un vero scandalo per l’epoca),
Margherita trova la forza di reagire grazie alla sua fede religiosa e recupera
la dignità perduta dedicandosi ai poveri. Nasce a Laviano (Perugia) nel 1247 da
una modesta famiglia. Ha otto anni quando perde la mamma e il papà si risposa.
La matrigna maltratta Margherita e la fa soffrire.
Un giovane nobile di Montepulciano (Siena), Arsenio, viene attirato dalla sua
bellezza e la convince a scappare con lui promettendole di sposarla, promessa
che non viene mantenuta poiché la famiglia del nobile non approva un matrimonio
con una popolana. Margherita, innamoratissima, a soli diciotto anni fugge da
casa e, per nove anni, viene mantenuta dal ricco Arsenio nel suo sfarzoso
palazzo, dove conduce una vita lussuosa e mondana. La sua relazione viene
giudicata da tutti peccaminosa. Margherita vorrebbe legalizzare la sua unione
con il nobile, purtroppo, però, non realizza il suo sogno nemmeno quando nasce
un figlio.
Un giorno, Arsenio viene ucciso durante una battuta di caccia in circostanze poco chiare. Il fedele cagnolino dell’uomo (che viene spesso raffigurato accanto alla santa) corre da Margherita per condurla nel bosco dall’amato. La donna si ritrova sola, con un bambino di sette anni. Viene cacciata via da casa dalla famiglia del nobile. Chiede aiuto al padre e alla matrigna che si rifiutano di accoglierla perché non perdonano la sua fuga da casa. La donna è disperata. Prega e trova rifugio in un convento francescano a Cortona (Arezzo). Confessa pubblicamente i suoi peccati e, grata per il perdono ricevuto, cambia vita. Diventa terziaria francescana e si dedica ai bisognosi e agli ammalati come infermiera, soprattutto alle donne in attesa di un bambino, ottenendo l’approvazione pontificia della “Congregazione delle Poverelle” da lei fondata. Le sue preghiere ottengono tante conversioni. Numerosi i miracoli. Anche il figlio, in seguito, diventa francescano.
Margherita vive gli ultimi anni in isolamento pregando il Signore. Si spegne a
Cortona nel 1297. La santa per i francescani rappresenta la “terza luce” (la
prima luce è San Francesco e la seconda è Santa Chiara). Protegge le ragazze
madri, le prostitute pentite e dalle malattie in genere, anche dalla depressione.
Autore: Mariella
Lentini
Basilica
of Santa Margherita, Cortona
Va a convivere diciottenne con un giovane nobile di Montepulciano, che non la
sposa neppure quando nasce un figlio, e che muore assassinato nove anni dopo.
(La tradizione racconta di un cagnolino che la guida a ritrovarlo cadavere, in
un bosco). I parenti di lui la scacciano con il bambino; e Margherita non può
neanche farsi riaccogliere nella casa paterna, dalla quale se n’è andata già
una volta dopo aver litigato con la matrigna (ha perso la madre a otto anni).
Ed è la città di Cortona che l’accoglie, conoscendo la sua situazione, perché
lei ne parla subito a tutti.
Due nobildonne le danno alloggio, e un lavoro come infermiera per le partorienti. Lei provvede a fare educare il figlio (che si farà poi francescano) e dopo il lavoro si dedica agli ammalati poveri,con volontà e talento di organizzatrice: prende con sé alcune volontarie che si chiameranno “Poverelle”, promuove l’assistenza gratuita a domicilio, si fa aiutare da famiglie importanti e nel1278 fonda per i poveri l’ospedale della Misericordia. Guida le sue collaboratrici, e all’occorrenza è non soltanto infermiera ma anche cuoca e questuante; fa di tutto per chi non ha nulla, neppure la salute.
Ma questa efficiente realizzatrice ha poi una seconda vita, da contemplativa, è capace di evadere da tutto per meditare sulla Passione del Signore in solitudine e dura penitenza. Dorme su graticcio su tavole di legno, in una cella presso la chiesa di San Francesco. Le sue decisioni sono sempre radicali: una domenica ricompare nel suo paese nativo, a Laviano, per raccontare a tutti – in chiesa, durante la celebrazione eucaristica– le sue vicende giovanili ,e per chiedere perdono.
Tra i suoi malati e le sue penitenze, Margherita è attenta pure alla vita pubblica della città che l’ha accolta e adottata. Viene spesso gente da lei, nella cella presso la Rocca dove si è stabilita nel 1288: si chiede il suo intervento per mettere pace nelle contese cittadine tra famiglie in lotta, tra guelfi e ghibellini, tra la gente di Cortona e il vescovo di Arezzo, Guglielmo degli Ubertini. Nelle evenienze più varie di vita pubblica e privata diventa un fatto naturale chiedere il suo intervento, raccomandarsi alle sue preghiere, sollecitare i suoi consigli. Nel 1289 Margherita è tra coloro che danno vita alla Confraternita delle Laudi; e anche in questo, nell’amore per il canto religioso popolare, si comporta da vera figlia spirituale di Francesco d’Assisi.
Trascorre gli ultimi anni in solitudine, già venerata come santa, sofferente nel fisico e «arricchita dal Signore con superiori carismi», come dirà di lei il “Martirologio romano”. Papa Benedetto XIII la proclama santa nel 1728. Le sue spoglie mortali si trovano nel santuario a lei dedicato in Cortona. Nei molti dipinti che illustrano la sua vita compare spesso la figura del cane, sua guida nel ritrovare il cadavere dell’uomo con il quale era fuggita.
Autore: Domenico Agasso
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/31450
Luca Signorelli, Madonna col Bambino e i Santi protettori di Cortona : San Michele, San Vincenzo, Santa Margherita e San Marco, 1510-1515 ca. Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della città di Cortona
Luca
Signorelli, Madonna col Bambino e i Santi protettori di Cortona : San Michele,
San Vincenzo, Santa Margherita e San Marco, 1510-1515 ca. Museo
dell'Accademia Etrusca e della città di Cortona
MARGHERITA da Cortona,
santa
di Giuseppe Barone - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 70 (2008)
MARGHERITA da Cortona,
santa. – Nacque a Laviano, presso Castiglione del Lago, a poca distanza dal
lago Trasimeno, nel 1247. La famiglia era di umili origini: il padre coltivava
terreni presi in affitto dal Comune di Perugia. A otto anni M. restò orfana di
madre e il padre si risposò presto con una donna cui la Legenda di M.
attribuisce i caratteri tipici della «cattiva matrigna». A sedici anni, all’età
in cui avrebbe dovuto sposare un giovane del suo ceto, M. fuggì di casa per
seguire un nobile di Montepulciano, Arsenio, di cui divenne la concubina per
circa nove anni e cui diede un figlio.
In questo periodo,
secondo il testo agiografico, avrebbe condiviso la vita del suo giovane amante,
ricco e incurante della morale come della religione: M. amava mostrarsi vestita
di abiti eleganti, ornata di gioielli e partecipare a feste e conviti. Questa
vita spensierata si concluse con la morte, forse in un incidente di caccia,
forse in un agguato, di Arsenio.
Data la sua situazione
«irregolare», a M. non restò che tornare col figlio nella casa paterna, dove
però non trovò solidarietà né comprensione. Decise allora di tentare la sorte a
Cortona, dove poté contare sull’aiuto di due nobildonne, Marinaria e Raineria,
che le offrirono alloggio. In un primo periodo M., per mantenere se stessa e il
figlio, accudì le ricche cortonesi nel periodo del parto.
Ben presto venne a
contatto con i francescani, presenti in città sin dagli inizi del Duecento;
sotto la loro influenza M. maturò una radicale conversione. Confessò
pubblicamente i propri peccati e assunse la forma di vita della penitente. Solo
dopo alcuni anni (nel 1275 o, meno probabilmente, nel 1277) i frati minori
l’accolsero formalmente tra i penitenti loro legati alla presenza di fra
Rainaldo da Castiglione, superiore della custodia di Arezzo.
Non è esatto definirla
già in questa fase terziaria francescana, perché dal punto di vista del diritto
canonico si può parlare di Terz’Ordine di S. Francesco solo dal 1289, quando il
papa francescano Niccolò IV emanò la bolla Supra montem, nella quale la
paternità dell’intero movimento penitenziale è attribuita anacronisticamente a
Francesco, che invece aveva personalmente vissuto l’esperienza della penitenza
come tanti suoi contemporanei; inoltre si tentò, senza successo, di collocare
tutti i penitenti sotto la guida dei frati minori.
Ma, al di là del fatto
giuridico, è certo che M. prese dimora in una piccola cella presso la chiesa di
S. Francesco e che la sua guida spirituale fu assunta prima da fra Giovanni da
Castiglion Fiorentino e, quando questi fu trasferito ad Arezzo, da fra Giunta
di Bevignate, autore, dopo la sua morte, della Legenda di Margherita.
Le più antiche
testimonianze iconografiche che, certamente, vollero ritrarla in modo
immediatamente riconoscibile, mostrano comunque che M. non assunse l’abito di
colore bigio (né bianco né nero), che contraddistingueva di norma i penitenti:
appare infatti spesso vestita di una tunica «a quadri», simile a quella
indossata dalla più o meno contemporanea Chiara da Rimini.
Per essere più libera di
consacrarsi totalmente a Dio, M. affidò il figlio a un precettore di Arezzo;
dopo alcuni anni il giovane, evidentemente sotto l’influenza spirituale della
madre, entrò nell’Ordine dei minori. Nella sua cella M. condusse una vita di
durissima penitenza.
Se un tempo aveva amato
le vesti costose; se nelle sue visioni le veniva promesso di comparire, dopo la
morte, di fronte al Signore coperta di una tunica tutta intessuta d’oro, nel
suo umile rifugio M. si accontentava delle vesti più povere, sempre di qualità
scadente, rappezzate e sudice. Come Francesco, era sempre disposta a donare
quei poveri indumenti a chi le sembrasse ancor più miserabile e non esitava a
dare in elemosina le maniche della tunica (che allora erano spesso unite alla
veste solo da nastri) o il velo che portava sul capo. Altrettanto austero era
il suo vitto: pane, acqua, a volte qualche erba scondita, seguendo l’esempio
dei padri del deserto.
Ricchissima era invece la
sua vita spirituale: le continue preghiere, le intense meditazioni della
Passione di Cristo erano compensate da numerose visioni, in cui le venne più
volte assicurata la salvezza eterna e la certezza di essere stata «eletta» dal
Cristo a sua sposa. La mistica di M. è infatti cristocentrica e sponsale, come
in altri casi di donne sotto l’influenza spirituale dei mendicanti; ma in lei
il rapporto con lo Sposo raggiunge toni di intensità e di passionalità rare.
Anche in questa fase
della sua vita M. non trascurò comunque di operare a favore del prossimo
sofferente, fondando, grazie all’aiuto della nobiltà cortonese e forse dello
stesso Uguccio Casali detto il Vecchio, che si avviava a diventare signore
della città, un piccolo ospedale dove curare malati, poveri e pellegrini. Il
gruppo di devoti che si unirono a lei nell’attività assistenziale diede vita
alla Confraternita di S. Maria della Misericordia, che vide approvato lo
statuto nel 1286 dal vescovo di Arezzo, della cui diocesi Cortona faceva parte.
Come molti altri, chierici e laici, ispirati dalla pastorale mendicante, M.
volle operare per la pace, proponendosi come mediatrice tra le fazioni che si
disputavano il potere in città e tra Cortona e Arezzo, impegnate in un
conflitto secolare.
Nel 1288 il suo
consigliere spirituale, fra Giovanni da Castiglion Fiorentino, fu trasferito ad
Arezzo e le fu assegnato come confessore fra Giunta di Bevignate. Ma proprio in
quegli anni maturò in M. la decisione di sottrarsi alle distrazioni della vita
cittadina, che le impedivano di raccogliersi in preghiera e meditazione come
avrebbe voluto, per quanto già vivesse rinchiusa in una cella. Si trasferì
allora in un’altra cella, a qualche distanza dal centro abitato, in prossimità
della rocca, accanto alle rovine della chiesa di S. Basilio. Proprio dietro sua
richiesta, il Comune di Cortona si impegnò a ricostruire il modesto edificio,
segno questo dell’influenza e dell’autorità che M. esercitava sulla popolazione
del luogo, che – sempre più spesso – si rivolgeva a lei per ottenerne
l’intercessione presso Dio.
La nuova residenza si
tradusse presto anche in un’interruzione del legame che la univa ai frati
minori; nel 1290, quando, dopo l’emanazione della Supra montem, avrebbe
dovuto rafforzare il proprio rapporto di dipendenza spirituale dai figli di S.
Francesco, ormai gli unici autorizzati a esercitare il ruolo di visitatori nei
confronti dei penitenti, M. si sottrasse invece alla loro cura; nei suoi ultimi
anni di vita suo confessore fu infatti un secolare, ser Badia Venturi, rettore
della restaurata chiesa di S. Basilio.
Fu ser Badia a fornire a
fra Giunta i particolari relativi agli ultimi anni di vita di M., confluiti poi
nel testo agiografico. M. morì a Cortona il 22 febbr. 1297.
Quando si diffuse la
notizia della sua morte, la popolazione cortonese, che la venerava già come una
santa, volle che il suo corpo venisse imbalsamato e, vestito di porpora, fosse
esposto alla venerazione dei fedeli nella chiesa di S. Basilio. L’edificio,
negli anni immediatamente successivi, fu ampliato e parzialmente ricostruito in
forme gotiche. Venne inoltre ornato di un ciclo di affreschi (ora perduti, ma
noti attraverso una copia ad acquerello, autenticata da un notaio, dai cui atti
venne tratta nel 1634 e allegata agli atti del processo apostolico da poco
autorizzato dalla S. Sede), opera di maestranze senesi, probabilmente legate a
Pietro Lorenzetti. Di questa chiesa ben poco è rimasto, a causa di una radicale
trasformazione del complesso nel sec. XIX.
La chiesa in cui fu
sepolta M. divenne presto centro di una devozione civica favorita dai nuovi
signori di Cortona, i Casali, che scelsero di farsi seppellire accanto alle
spoglie di Margherita. Gli statuti del 1325, anno in cui Cortona fu affrancata
dalla dipendenza da Arezzo ed eretta in diocesi, segnalano già il contributo
economico del Comune in occasione della festa di M., la cui memoria veniva
celebrata da una processione cui partecipavano tutte le istituzioni e i
mestieri cittadini. I frati minori non si rassegnarono però a rinunciare a
quella che consideravano una loro figlia spirituale. Pochi anni dopo la morte
di M., e quando già si andava affermando il suo culto in città, fra Giunta
ricevette l’incarico di scrivere la Vita di M., rivendicando il
carattere francescano della sua religiosità, presentandola come una «novella
Maddalena» e come «luce del Terz’Ordine francescano». Il testo di Giunta fu
letto, come risulta da una nota apposta dallo stesso autore alla fine della sua
opera, da molti eminenti personaggi dell’Ordine ma, soprattutto, dal cardinale
legato Napoleone Orsini che, nel 1308, si fece consegnare una copia del testo,
lo fece ricopiare, ne approvò il contenuto ed esortò tutti a favorire la
circolazione dello scritto e a predicare vita, virtù e miracoli di Margherita.
Il potente cardinale Orsini – membro di una delle famiglie romane di antica
nobiltà e fautore non solo degli spirituali francescani, ma anche delle nuove
forme di religiosità femminile, di cui M. è un fulgido esempio – si impegnò
anche a far mettere per iscritto i miracoli operati grazie alla sua
intercessione. L’intervento del cardinale a favore del riconoscimento della
santità di M. fu immediatamente avvertito come di singolare importanza. La
scena della registrazione notarile dei miracoli di fronte a Napoleone Orsini e
al vescovo, anacronisticamente identificato col primo vescovo di Cortona (che
non fu diocesi fino al 1325), fu inserita nel ciclo che decorava le pareti
della chiesa-santuario ben presto nota col nome di S. Margherita.
Ma anche se poté godere
dell’appoggio del cardinale Orsini e della devozione di un’intera città, la
causa di M. non trovò favorevole accoglienza presso i papi e la Curia. La
santità femminile, con il suo carattere «non disciplinato» e segnata da un
misticismo sospetto a molti uomini di Chiesa, dovette attendere secoli per
essere riconosciuta. Solo grazie a una serie di favorevoli circostanze, Leone
X, prestando ascolto alle insistenze del nobile cortonese e cardinale Silvio
Passerini, che aveva avuto modo di conoscere e apprezzare prima della sua
elezione al pontificato, concesse, nel 1516, la celebrazione della festa di M.
nella diocesi di Cortona. Urbano VIII estese tale privilegio all’intero Ordine
francescano; nel 1629 fu finalmente autorizzata l’apertura del processo
apostolico, che portò il 16 maggio 1728 al riconoscimento formale della santità
di Margherita.
La complessa figura
spirituale di M. ha attirato l’interesse anche di scrittori dal forte afflato
religioso: subito dopo la fine della seconda guerra mondiale, il futuro premio
Nobel F. Mauriac pubblicava Sainte Marguerite de Cortone (Paris 1945,
trad. italiana Milano 1952), mentre nei primi anni del XX secolo il danese J.J.
Jörgensen, neoconvertito al cattolicesimo, la collocava in un trittico
femminile fortemente segnato dal francescanesimo insieme con Angela da Foligno
e Camilla Battista da Varano (In excelsis: Angela da Foligno, M. da C., Camilla
Battista Varano, Bari 1959).
Altrettanto successo ha
riscosso M. nelle arti visive (cfr. Bibl. sanctorum, VIII, coll. 770-773).
Il suo cenotafio, in S. Margherita a Cortona, è un superbo lavoro di scultura
gotica di Agnolo e Francesco di Pietro. In pieno secolo XX, il cortonese Gino
Severini ha dedicato a M. una grande immagine in mosaico, quale ex voto della
città, sfuggita alle devastazioni della seconda guerra mondiale.
Fonti e Bibl.: Il testo
di Giunta di Bevignate fu edito parzialmente per la prima volta in Acta
sanctorum, Februarii, III, Antverpiae 1658, pp. 298-357; poi per intero da L.
Bargigli da Pelago, Antica leggenda della vita e de’ miracoli di s. M. da
C., Lucca 1793; poi ancora in Legenda de vita et miraculis beatae
Margaritae de Cortona, a cura di F. Iozzelli, Grottaferrata 1997; per i
manoscritti e le traduzioni si veda Repertorium fontium historiae Medii
Aevi, VI, pp. 477 s.; gli atti del processo di canonizzazione, conservati in
almeno cinque codici, sono stati editi, a partire da uno dei tre manoscritti
cortonesi, tradotti in italiano da O. Montenovesi, I fioretti di santa M.
da C., in Miscell. francescana, XLVI (1946), pp. 254-293.
La bibliografia relativa
a M. è ricchissima ma sovente di taglio devozionale. Si segnalano qui le opere
degli ultimi decenni che hanno maggiormente contribuito alla conoscenza storica
del personaggio: F. Cardini, Agiografia e politica: M. da C. e le vicende
di una città inquieta, in Studi francescani, LXXVI (1979), pp. 127-136; C.
Frugoni, Le mistiche, le visioni e l’iconografia: rapporti ed influssi,
in Temi e problemi nella mistica femminile trecentesca. Atti del XX
Convegno del Centro di studi sulla spiritualità medievale-Acc. Tudertina… 1979,
Todi 1983, pp. 137-179; E. Menestò, La mistica di M. da C., ibid.,
pp. 181-206; La «Supra montem» di Niccolò IV (1289). Genesi e diffusione
di una regola, a cura di R. Pazzelli - L. Temperini, Roma 1988; A.
Vauchez, La santità nel Medioevo, Bologna 1989, ad ind.; D.
Mirri, Cronaca dei lavori edilizi della nuova chiesa di S. Margherita in
Cortona, a cura di E. Mori, Cortona 1989; R. Rusconi, M. da C. peccatrice
redenta e patrona cittadina, in E. Menestò - R. Rusconi, Umbria sacra e
civile, Torino 1989, pp. 89-104; A. Vauchez, I laici nel Medioevo. Pratiche
ed esperienze religiose, Milano 1989, ad ind.; A. Benvenuti, Cristomimesi
al femminile, in Id., «In castro poenitentiae». Santità e società
femminile nell’Italia medievale, Roma 1990, pp. 141-168; A. Benvenuti Papi,
in Storia dei santi e della santità cristiana, VII, [Paris] 1991, pp.
185-190; A. Calufetti, L’esperienza della Croce nel racconto di due
convertite: s. M. da C.… e la b. Angela da Foligno…, in Studi francescani,
LXXXIX (1992), pp. 207-222; M.C. Iacobelli, Una donna senza volto.
Lineamenti antropologico-culturali della santità di M. da C., Roma 1992; C.
Perol, Les Marguerite de Cortone, lecture onomastique d’une cité toscane
(XIVe-XXe siècle), in Mélanges de l’École française de Rome, CIV
(1992), pp. 611-641; D. Bornstein, The uses of the body: the Church and
the cult of s. M. da C., in Church History, LXII (1993), pp. 163-177; F.
Iozzelli, I miracoli nella «Legenda» di s. M. da C., in Archivum
Franciscanum historicum, LXXXVI (1993), pp. 217-276; J. Cannon, Marguerite
et les Cortonais, in La religion civique à l’époque médiévale et moderne
(chrétienté et islam). Atti del Colloquio…, Nanterre… 1993, a cura di A.
Vauchez, Rome 1995, pp. 403-413; F. Iozzelli, M. da C. «nuova Maddalena»,
in Studi francescani, XCIII (1996), pp. 347-359; Mariano d’Alatri, S.
M. da C. e il Terz’Ordine francescano, in M. da C., Quaderni di
spiritualità francescana, XVIII (1997), pp. 87-99; M. Sensi, S. M. nel
contesto storico sociale cortonese, ibid., pp. 9-49; A. Vauchez, Aspetti
umani e mistico-religiosi nell’epoca di s. M., ibid., pp. 61-85; M.
da C. Una storia emblematica di devozione narrata per testi e immagini, a cura
di L. Corti - R. Spinelli, Milano 1998 (con ricca bibliografia soprattutto in
materia storico-artistica); M.P. Alberzoni, L’«approbatio»: Curia romana,
Ordine minoritico e Liber, in Angèle de Foligno. Le dossier, a cura di G.
Barone - J. Dalarun, Rome 1999, pp. 293-310; J. Cannon - A. Vauchez, M. da
C. e i Lorenzetti (con un contributo di C. Perol), Roma 2000; E.
Pasztòr, Esperienze di povertà al femminile in Italia tra XII e XIV secolo,
in Id., Donne e sante. Studi sulla religiosità femminile nel Medio Evo,
Roma 2000, specialmente pp. 142-144; A. Vauchez, S. M. da C. (m. 1297)
dalla religione civica al culto universale, in Id., Esperienze religiose
nel Medioevo, Roma 2003, pp. 137-148; Wörterbuch der Mystik, a cura di P.
Dinzelbacher, Stuttgart 1989, pp. 339 s.; Il grande libro dei santi, a
cura di C. Leonardi - A. Riccardi - G. Zarri, Cinisello Balsamo 1998, pp.
1293-1298 (con bibl.); Bibliotheca sanctorum, VIII, coll. 759-773; Lexikon
des Mittelalters, VI, 2, col. 233.
SOURCE : https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/margherita-da-cortona-santa_(Dizionario-Biografico)
Basilica di Santa Margherita, altare
maggiore con l'urna della Santa
22 de Febrero
Santa Margarita de Cortona
(año 1297)
La mujer escandalosa que
llegó a ser de muy buen ejemplo.
Margarita nació en Italia
en 1247. Hija de una familia de agricultores, los primeros años los pasa
alegremente junto a su madre que es muy piadosa y que le enseña a ofrecer por
la salvación y por la conversión de los pecadores todo lo que hace y lo que reza.
Pero a los 7 años queda huérfana de madre, y entonces su padre se casa con una
mujer dominante y agresiva que se dedica a hacerle la vida imposible a la joven
Margarita, la cual empieza a volverse triste y desconfiada y a buscar fuera del
hogar las alegrías que en su casa no logra hallar.
A los 17 años ya es una joven muy hermosa pero no puede encontrar cariño en su
hogar. Es entonces cuando se deja engañar por un terrateniente, un rico
agricultor que prometiéndole que se casará con ella, logra obtener que se fuera
de su casa y se vaya con él. Ella al principio opone resistencia porque sabe
que lo que le ofrece es la deshonra y una vida de pecado, pero los regalos
espléndidos y las promesas mentirosas de aquel engañador la logran convencer, y
una noche sale huyendo y se va con él.
Viajan aquella noche por un río en una balsa. Chocan y la balsa se hunde. Ella
corre gravísimo peligro de ahogarse, pero su prometido logra salvarla nadando
ágilmente. La joven considera esto como una llamada de Dios, pero en aquella
hora pueden más las promesas del pecado que los avisos de Dios, y sigue con
aquel hombre.
Son ocho años de pecado, de lujos, de fiestas y placeres, pero su alma no es
feliz. Desea fuertemente volver a los tiempos antiguos cuando aunque no tenía
lujos ni fiestas, ni honores, sin embargo tenía el alma limpia de pecado y
tranquila su conciencia. Tiene un hijo (que más tarde será franciscano) pero en
su alma se libra cada día una violenta batalla entre su deseo de vivir en
gracia y amistad con Dios y los deseos pasionales de su naturaleza humana. La
gente la ve atravesar plazas y calles, elegantísima, en lujosas cabalgaduras,
pero no imaginan que su alma agoniza de angustia.
Para calmar un poco los remordimientos de su conciencia se dedica a repartir limosnas
entre los pobres. A una viejita agradecida que le dice: "Gracias señora,
Ud. si es buena persona". Le responde: ¡Por favor: no diga eso, que
yo sólo soy una miserable pecadora!
A ratos se retira a las soledades del bosque a llorar. Y allí exclama: "Oh
Dios: que bueno es poder hablarte, aunque el alma se siente tan débil y
pecadora. Te repito las palabras del hijo pródigo: He pecado contra el cielo y
contra Ti".
Le ruega a su compañero que contraigan matrimonio porque su alma no puede vivir
tranquila en esa vida de ilegitimidad, pero él le responde que prefiere vivir
en unión libre todavía por muchos años. Entonces ella ruega a Dios que le
proporcione alguna solución. Y no se cansa de pedirle, con lágrimas,
penitencias y mucha fe.
Una mañana su compañero se va al campo a visitar sus fincas. Por el camino unos
sicarios guerilleros lo atacan, y lo matan a puñaladas, y esconden su cadáver
entre unas matas, el hombre no vuelve esa tarde a casa, pero su fiel perro
llega al día siguiente dando aullidos muy lastimeros y tira insistentemente de
la falda de Margarita como diciéndole: "Por favor, sígame". Ella lo
sigue llena de afán y de temor de que algo grave le haya sucedido a su
compañero. En el bosque, junto a un gran árbol hay un montón de ramas y hasta allí
la lleva el perro fiel. Margarita mueve ramas y encuentra el cadáver de su
amante, destrozado con horrorosas heridas y empezando a descomponerse.
Margarita siente en aquel momento como un relámpago la llamada del cielo a
volver a vivir en gracia y en amistad con Dios. Estalla en llanto por la
tristeza de ver muerto a aquel hombre y por los terribles remordimientos que
atormentan su propia conciencia. Pero recuerda que el Padre Celestial tiene
siempre abiertos sus brazos bondadosos para recibir a todos los hijos pródigos
que quieren volver a su divina amistad, y que Jesucristo nunca rechaza a las
Magdalenas que quieran arrepentirse y cambiar de comportamiento, y con todas
las energías de su alma se propone darle un vuelco total a su vida. Bien sabe
que mientras vivamos en esta tierra nunca es tarde para convertirse y lograr
salvarse.
Margarita no es mujer de medias tintas. Cuando se decide por algo lo hace con
todas sus fuerzas. Así que lo primero que hace al volver del funeral de su
amante es devolverles a los familiares de él todas las fincas que el hombre
tenía. Vende luego las joyas y los lujos, y el dinero obtenido lo reparte a los
pobres y ella se dispone a seguir viviendo en total pobreza.
Se va con su hijito a casa de su padre, pero la madrastra no permite que sea
recibida allí, pues la considera una mujer escandalosa, y no cree en su
arrepentimiento. Entonces sentada bajo un árbol se pone a llorar y a pensar.
Los enemigos de la salvación le dicen: "Eres hermosa, tienes apenas 25
años, lánzate a la vida, que amadores no te van a faltar". Pero mientras
reza siente que el Espíritu Santo le inspira esta idea: ¿Por qué no ir a la
ciudad de Cortona donde están los Padres Franciscanos que son tan amigos de los
pobres, y pedirles que me ayuden? Y hacia esa ciudad dirige sus pasos.
Al llegar a Cortona, en la entrada de la ciudad se encuentra con dos buenas
señoras que se conmueven al verla en tan impresionante estado de pobreza y se
ofrecen a ayudarla. La llevan a su casa; se encargan de la educación del niño y
ellas mismas van donde los Padres Franciscanos a recomendarla.
Una gran bendición para Margarita fue encontrar entre los Padres Franciscanos
dos santos y sabios sacerdotes que le supieron dar una excelente dirección
espiritual. Por tres años largos tiene todavía que luchar esta joven contra las
terribles tentaciones de su carne, pero estos prudentes directores la ayudan
muchísimo animándola cuando está decaída y deprimida y guiándola con prudencia
cuando ella se quiere dejar llevar por desmedidos entusiasmos. Deseaba hacer
excesivas penitencias, porque decía que co nlas pasiones de su cuerpo nunca
podía hacer las paces y que tenía que dominar a la fuerza ese cuerpo que tanto
le había hecho ofender a Dios. Pero los Padres Franciscanos la moderaban y le
insistían en que para la sociedad puede ser más útil un burro vivo que un
cadáver.
Margarita fue al pueblo y a los campos donde había dado malos ejemplos viviendo
en concubinato, y fue a vestida de penitencia y pidiendo perdón a los vecinos
por todos los escándalos que les había dado con su vida pecaminosa de otros
tiempos.
Luego por inspiración de Dios dejó de pensar tanto en sus antiguos pecados, y
se dedicó más bien a pensar en el amor que Dios nos ha tenido, y esto la hizo
crecer mucho en santidad. Entonces empezó a tener éxtasis (se llaman éxtasis a
ciertos estados de contemplación y de meditación profunda cuyo resultado es la
suspensión temporal de la actividad normal de los sentidos y cierta unión
mística con Dios, acompañada de visiones sobrenaturales).
Sus directores, los dos Padres Franciscanos, fueron escribiendo todos los datos
que lograron saber y redactaron la vida de la santa y muchas de sus visiones.
Fue admitida como Terciaria Franciscana, o sea como religiosa seglar, que
viviendo en el mundo, se dedica a llevar una vida de mucha oración y de intenso
apostolado.
Con la ayuda de otras jóvenes terciarais franciscanas, y pidiendo limosnas y
ayudas de todas partes, Margarita funda un hospital en Cortona y allí se dedica
con sus compañeras a atender gratuitamente a muchos enfermos.
Nuestro Señor empieza a hablarle en visiones, y así esta santa llega a ser una
de las precursoras de la devoción al Sagrado Corazón. Recordemos algunos de los
mensajes que Jesús le dio:
"Quiero que tu conversión sea un ejemplo para muchos pecadores, para que
se sientan animados también a dejar la vida de pecado que han llevado, y a
emprender desde ahora en adelante una vida llena de buenas obras. Deseo que
todos los pecadores de todos los siglos recuerden que estoy dispuesto a
recibirlos con los brazos abiertos como el padre recibió al hijo pródigo".
Cuando le asaltan las angustias al pensar si Jesucristo le habrá perdonado
todas sus maldades, oye la voz de Nuestro Señor que le dice: "Porque he
muerto en la cruz por salvarte, por eso te perdono todas tus culpas, sin dejar
ninguna que no quede perdonada".
Otro día le dice Nuestro Señor: "Glorifícame, y Yo te glorificaré. Ámame,
ámame y Yo te amaré. Dedícate a buscar lo que más te convenga para tu
salvación".
En sus últimos años Margarita recibió de Dios el don de obrar milagros. Y se
dedica a continuas penitencias. Ayuna; duerme sobre el duro suelo; pasa horas y
horas rezando. Atiende con exquisito cuidado a toda clase de enfermos,
especialmente a los más repugnantes. Ayuda a las mujeres pobres que van a tener
hijos y que no tienen quién las atienda. Y sobre todo soporta con gran
paciencia la increíble cantidad de cuentos y calumnias que las gentes malas le
inventan contra su buena fama. Hasta los Padres Franciscanos dejan de atenderla
porque las malas lenguas dicen que es una mujer indigna. Se retira a pasar sus
últimos días en un rancho miserable y abandonado, para hacer penitencia de sus
pecados.
Muere el 22 de febrero de 1297, a los 50 años. La mitad de la vida la pasó en
pecado y la otra mitad haciendo penitencia y obras buenas. Lo último que dijo
al morir fue: "Dios mío: yo te amo". El Papa Benedicto Trece, al
declararla santa, dijo que Margarita es la mujer que más parecido tiene con
María Magdalena.
Santa Margarita, la convertida: pídele a Dios, que nosotros también logremos
convertirnos.
Nuestro sacrificio más agradable para Dios será el arrepentirnos y convertirnos
de nuestros pecados.
SOURCE : https://www.ewtn.com/spanish/Saints/Margarita_de_Cortona.htm
Confessional
with Margaret of Cortona (St. Gallen)
Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer (1696–1770) Büste auf Beichtstuhl: Margaretha von Cortona, Stiftskirche St. Gallen, Nordseite, photographed by Hermetiker
Den hellige Margareta av
Cortona (1247-1297)
Minnedag: 22.
februar
Den hellige Margareta ble
født i 1247 i Laviano ved Chiusi i regionen Toscana i Midt-Italia. Hun var
datter av en fattig småbonde. Hun mistet sin gode og fromme mor som syvåring,
og da faren giftet seg på nytt to år senere, måtte den ærekjære og nytelsessyke
jenta lide mye under en usympatisk og kald stemor. Margareta ble snart kjent
for sin skjønnhet, og da hun var rundt tolv år gammel, rømte hun hjemmefra for
å bo sammen med den rike adelsmannen Arsenio fra Montepulciano, selv om han
bare var rundt fjorten år. I ni år bodde de sammen i prangende luksus og skapte
mye skandale, spesielt da hun arrogant pleide å ri ut fra elskerens slott kledd
i fin silke, og hun foraktet de fattige. Hun lengtet etter å gifte seg med den
unge mannen, men han nektet, til og med da hun fødte ham en sønn, for en
adelsmann kunne ikke gifte seg med en fattig bondedatter.
Men så en dag i 1268 dro
Arsenio ut for å besøke en av sine eiendommer, og han vendte ikke tilbake til
slottet. Legenden forteller at hunden hans vendte tilbake alene dagen etter for
å føre Margareta til sin herre. Den førte henne til foten av et eiketre i
skogen, hvor den begynte å grave. Til Margaretas skrekk fant hun elskerens lik
der hvor de ukjente morderne hadde kastet ham i en liten grop og dekt ham med
løv.
Den 21-årige Margareta så
Guds dom i dette, og hun forlot Montepulciano så fort hun kunne. Hun ga bort
alle sine eiendeler til elskerens slektninger, bortsett fra noen smykker som
hun solgte og ga pengene til de fattige. Kledd i botsdrakt dro hun i
desperasjon hjem til sin fars hus sammen med sønnen, ba ham om tilgivelse og
appellerte til ham om å ta i mot dem begge, men påvirket av sin hustru nektet
faren henne å komme hjem igjen.
Margareta visste ikke hva
hun skulle gjøre, men hun ble plutselig inspirert til å dra til Cortona i
Toscana og søke hjelp hos fransiskanerne, siden hun åpenbart hadde hørt om
deres vennlighet overfor syndere. Da hun kom til byen, visste hun ikke hvor hun
skulle gå, og hennes åpenbare ulykke vakte oppmerksomheten til to kvinner,
Marinana og Raneria Moscari. De snakket til henne og spurte om de kunne hjelpe
henne. Hun fortalte dem sin historie og hvorfor hun hadde kommet til Cortona,
og de tok straks henne og sønnen med til sitt eget hus.
Siden introduserte de
henne for fransiskanerne. I tre år måtte hun nå kjempe hardt mot fristelser,
for selv om ånden var villig, var kjødet skrøpelig. I denne tiden var hennes
åndelige veiledere fransiskanerbrødrene Giovanni da Castiglione og Giunta
Bevegnati. Hun ønsket å straffe seg selv for sine tidligere synder, og hun dro
til kirken i Laviano med et tau rundt halsen og bekjente offentlig sine synder
og ba om tilgivelse for skandalene hun hadde forårsaket.
Margareta begynte å tjene
til livets opphold ved å pleie noen relativt velstående kvinner i byen, men hun
ga opp dette for å vie seg helt til be og se etter syke fattige. Fra nå av var
hennes liv like strengt som det tidligere hadde vært løsaktig. Hun forlot
hjemmet til de to kvinnene og bosatte seg i en liten hytte som lå mer avsides
til, og der begynte hun å livnære seg av almisser. All hel mat som ble gitt til
henne ga hun til de fattige, mens hun og sønnen levde av de restene som ble
igjen. Inntil sønnen var blitt voksen, var hun opptatt av å tjene sitt brød og
utøve barmhjertige gjerninger.
De kloke
fransiskanermunkene prøvde å få den forrykte kvinnen til å modifisere sine
botsøvelser, som inkluderte å påføre seg selv skade i ansiktet og til og med
mishandle sønnen, og broder (Fra) Giunta forbød henne å få seg selv ført
gjennom gatene i Montepulciano med et rep rundt halsen. Til slutt fikk
Margareta sin sjelefred tilbake. Da de tre årene var til ende, var hennes
tidligere kamper over, og hun nådde en høyere grad av spiritualitet da hun
begynte å erfare Jesu kjærlighet og å tro at hennes synder var tilgitt. Hun
hadde lenge ønsket å bli medlem av fransiskanerordenen som tertiar, og
brødrene, som hadde ventet til de var sikre på hennes oppriktighet, gikk til
slutt med på å gi henne drakten. Like etter ble hennes sønn sendt på skole i
Arezzo, hvor han ble til han gikk inn i fransiskanerordenen. Fra den tiden hun
ble fransiskanertertiar, gjorde Margareta stor fremgang i bønnen og oppnådde
svært direkte kommunikasjon med sin Frelser.
Margareta ble kjent for
sine overnaturlige helbredelser, og hennes ry trakk til seg besøkende fra andre
deler av Italia og til og med fra Frankrike og Spania. Budskapene som hun
mottok, gjaldt ikke alltid bare henne selv. Hun fikk visjoner av Kristus som en
fredsmaker, og i et tilfelle ble hun bedt om å sende en beskjed til biskop
Vilhelm av Arezzo og be ham forbedre sitt liv og avstå fra å slåss med
menneskene i sitt bispedømme og spesielt i Cortona. I 1289 strevde hun for å
forhindre krig da biskop Vilhelm igjen var på kant med guelferne. Margareta dro
til ham personlig, men han ville ikke høre, og ti dager senere falt han i et
slag. Broder Giunta forteller om mange av disse visjonene i sin bok «Legender
om St. Margareta», som skal være diktert av henne selv.
Fransiskanernes
tredjeorden var også kjent som «de botferdiges orden». Grupper av sekulære
«botferdige» hadde dannet seg flere steder, hovedsakelig som et spontant svar
på tidens vold og katastrofer. Mange enkeltpersoner og grupper hadde appellert
til den hellige Frans
av Assisi om å veilede dem, og han synes å ha svart med en «Formaning
til brødre og søstre i bot», som eksisterer i to versjoner og vanligvis regnes
som stiftelsesdokumentet til fransiskanernes tredjeorden.
Broder- og søsterskap for
bot, som krevde forskjellig slags uavhengighet og privilegier både i det sivile
og kirkelige samfunnet, ble nesten alltid involvert i nestekjærlig arbeid.
Biskopen av Arezzo hadde rukket å gjøre en god ting for Margareta og Cortona
før han døde. Hun viet seg til pleie av de fattige, først i sin egen lille
hytte, men senere sluttet en rekke kvinner seg til henne, og en av dem,
Diabella, ga sitt eget hus til formålet. I 1286 hadde hun en visjon om å danne
en kommunitet for å utvide dette arbeidet. Samme år ga biskopen av Arezzo sin
tillatelse til en kommunitet av kvinner for å utvikle hennes initiativ. Hun
fikk også sympati fra Uguccio Casali, den ledende borgeren i Cortona, og han
fikk byrådet til å gi henne penger som hun brukte til å grunnlegge et hospital
for fattige i Cortona. Hun viet det til Vår frue av Nåden og kalte det Spedale
de Santa Maria della Misericordia.
Pleierne i sykehuset var
fransiskanertertiarer som Margareta samlet i en kongregasjon med spesielle
statuetter - hun kalte kommuniteten Póverelle, «små fattige kvinner». Hun
dannet også Brorskapet av Vår Frue av Nåden, og medlemmene der var forpliktet
til å støtte hospitalet og hjelpe de fattige.
Margareta påla seg selv
stadig strengere botsøvelser. Nettene tilbrakte hun i bønn og kontemplasjon, nesten
uten søvn, og når hun la seg nedpå for å hvile litt, var det alltid rett på
bakken. Hun inntok bare litt brød og rå grønnsaker samt vann, og hun bar
hårskjorte som bot. Hun påførte kroppen skader slik at den blødde for både
hennes egne og menneskehetens synder.
Men noen tvilte på
oppriktigheten i hennes anger, og hun og hennes venner unngikk ikke sladder,
bakvaskelser og forakt. Beskyldningene om hennes forhold til
fransiskanerbrødrene var så alvorlige at rundt 1289 ble hennes skriftefar,
broder Giunta, overført til Siena. Anklagene viste seg senere å være falske, og
mange synderes omvendelse skjedde på grunn av hennes bønner og veiledning.
Margareta mottok de siste
sakramentene av Fra Giunta og døde den 22. februar 1297 i Cortona, 50 år gammel
og etter 29 år i bot. Samme dag som hun døde, ble hun offentlig erklært som
helgen, og borgerne i Cortona begynte samme år å bygge en kirke til hennes ære
på det stedet der hun døde. De fransiskanske observantene fikk ansvaret for
kirken på slutten av 1300-tallet og bygde et kloster i tilknytning til den. Ved
hennes grav skjedde mange undre.
I 1515 ble hennes
minnedag tillatt for bispedømmet Cortona, noe som tilsvarer en saligkåring, men
hun ble ikke formelt helligkåret før den 16. mai 1728 av pave Benedikt XIII
(1724-30). Hennes minnedag er 22. februar og hennes navn står i Martyrologium
Romanum.
Av den opprinnelige
kirken som ble bygd av Niccolò og Giovanni Pisano gjenstår bare et vindu, men i
den nåværende temmelig smakløse bygningen Santuario di Santa Margherita hviler
fortsatt hennes angivelig uråtnede legeme i et glasskrin på høyalteret. Kirken
er fortsatt et mye besøkt valfartsmål. En statue av Giovanni Pisano viser henne
med hunden som ledet henne til sin elskers lik. Hun fremstilles da også oftest
med en hund som drar henne i skjørtene og med en hodeskalle under føttene,
eller i ekstase mens hun mottar visjoner. Ellers ses hun i tertiarenes mørke
drakt med lyst slør og rosenkrans eller pisk. Hun er skytshelgen for Cortona og
for botferdige kvinner og prostituerte som ønsker et nytt liv.
Kilder: Attwater
(dk), Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Jones, Bentley, Hallam, Butler,
Butler (II), Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson, Cruz (1), Jones (2), Engelhart,
Schauber/Schindler, Melchers, Dammer/Adam, Index99, KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints
SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz, Heiligenlexikon - Kompilasjon og oversettelse:
p. Per Einar
Odden - Opprettet: 2000-05-07 23:49 - -
Sist oppdatert: 2005-12-26 18:05
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/mcortona
Voir aussi : http://mondieuetmontout.com/Ignace-Beaufays-Sainte-Marguerite-De-Cortone.htm
http://francois-mauriac.aquitaine.fr/h_foi/htm/roman/biogra/h_foi27.htm
