Camilla Battista da Varano’s father, Giulio Cesare de Varano, had high ambitions for his daughter, the Princess of Camerino. A powerful man, he expected that his daughter, born in 1458, would make a good and useful match. Da Varano learned Latin, dancing and painting. She was also taught to ride. These were the accomplishments of upper-class Renaissance women. She enjoyed dances and celebrations.
When she was only nine, Da Varano heard a homily by Brother da Leonessa. He asked the congregation to shed a tear for Christ every Friday. She did this all of her life. Heavily influenced by the Brother’s sermons and other preachers, the young girl became very pious. She started to feel a vocation to become a nun.
Camilla Battista Da Varano Enters the Convent
The young woman enjoyed her splendid life, however, so she had a difficult choice. To her father’s chagrin, she refused many marriage proposals. The sermons of Brother da Leonessa and Brother Urbino weighed on her mind, and she decided to become a nun, while listening to a sermon of Brother Urbino during Lent.
Her family opposed her decision, because they had hoped that she would marry an important man. However, when da Varano insisted, her father had the convent restored for her. She chose to enter the convent of St.Clare at Urbino and become a Poor Clare sister in 1481. She was given the name of Sister Battista.
Da Varano had a tragic life. She suffered years of depression, after joining the convent. In 1502, her father and brothers were killed and her family was attacked because of persecution by Cesare Borgia. She sought refuge in Abruzzi.
Camilla Battista da Varano’s Achievements
In spite of these troubles, da Varano achieved a lot. She founded a Poor Clare convent in Fermo and helped institute the Rule of the Poor Clares, in San Severino. By founding a convent she was truly following in the footsteps of St.Clare herself – she had established the order and introduced the Rule.
Da Varano wrote 22 works, including an autobiography which was highly praised. She wrote about her mystical visions, as well as spiritual life in these books. Da Varano often had visions of angels. She wrote that angels dressed in white often appeared to her and defended her against the devil. In one famous vision one angel took da Varano’s soul from her left side while another took her soul from her right side. They then laid it down near Christ’s cold feet.
Camilla Battista da Varano died in Macerata on May 31, 1524. Her feast day is May 31.
Sources
A Sinner’s Guide to the Saints
Princess Turned Poor Clare Nun to be Canonized
Blessed Camilla Battista da Varano
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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