Saint Agnes of Montepulciano
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Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, born on January 28, 1268, in Gracciano Vecchio, Tuscany, was a Dominican nun and mystic whose precocious holiness shaped medieval Italian spirituality. Entering a convent at 9, she became abbess of a new foundation in Proceno at 15, renowned for visions—once levitating with the Christ Child—and miracles like multiplying bread. In 1306, she founded the Monastery of Santa Maria Novella in Montepulciano, leading it until her death on April 20, 1317, at 49, her body wracked by illness yet exuding a sweet scent and found incorrupt. Her life inspired Saint Catherine of Siena, who called her “our mother.”
Canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII, Agnes’s feast day, April 20, celebrates her sanctity, with her incorrupt body enshrined in Montepulciano’s Church of Santa Maria Novella, a pilgrimage site. Patroness of Montepulciano, nuns, and chastity, her miracles—flowers blooming at her death, healings—echo in Dominican lore, detailed by biographer Raymond of Capua. Her legacy of austerity and devotion endures, a beacon of feminine piety in the Middle Ages.
Biography
Birth
Saint Agnes was born on January 28, 1268, in Gracciano Vecchio, near Montepulciano, to a well-off family—names unrecorded—in a Tuscan hamlet. Her birth amid Italy’s feudal strife came with signs of piety, legends claiming she prayed in the womb. Tuscany’s hills cradled her early years.
Her arrival marked a child destined for holiness, her family soon yielding to her convent call.
Early Life
Agnes’s youth was extraordinary; at 9, she joined a Montepulciano convent, drawn to asceticism. By 14, her repute grew—visions of Mary and miracles like bread multiplication noted. At 15, she was named abbess in Proceno, leading with maturity beyond her years, her mysticism awing peers.
Her early life was a swift ascent to leadership, shaping her later Montepulciano foundation. Agnes’s childhood was a prelude to sainthood.
Occupation
Agnes’s occupation began as a nun, entering at 9 and rising to abbess of Proceno by 1283. In 1306, she founded and led Montepulciano’s Santa Maria Novella, guiding Dominican sisters with strict rule and prayer. Known for levitating in ecstasy, she served until illness felled her in 1317.
Her work was monastic governance and mysticism, ending in death. Agnes’s occupation built a lasting Dominican outpost.
Vocation
Agnes’s vocation bloomed at 9, a call to holiness through Dominican life. Abbess at 15, she embraced poverty and visions—once cradling the infant Jesus—multiplying food for the poor. Founding Montepulciano’s monastery in 1306, she lived her call until her final, painful years.
Her vocation peaked in 1317, dying with a legacy of miracles. Agnes’s life was a mystic’s service to God and sisters.
Death
Saint Agnes met her end on April 20, 1317, in Montepulciano, dying at 49 of illness and exhaustion in her monastery. Bedridden, she foresaw her passing, her body emitting a floral scent and remaining incorrupt—exhumed intact years later. Buried at Santa Maria Novella, she rests there still.
Her death drew pilgrims, miracles like healings soon reported. Agnes’s passing closed a life of radiant piety, her tomb a holy draw.
Significant events
- Entered convent at 9, 1277.
- Named abbess of Proceno, 1283.
- Founded Santa Maria Novella, 1306.
- Died April 20, 1317, body incorrupt.
Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began post-1317 in Montepulciano, with local inquiries into her miracles and incorruptibility, formalized later.
Venerable
No formal Venerable status then; her sanctity grew organically, recognized by 1608.
Beatification
Beatified on December 10, 1608, by Pope Clement VII in Rome, after early miracles (e.g., healing a child c. 1317) were affirmed by tradition.
Canonization
Canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII in Rome, following a 1725 cure of a woman’s blindness via prayers to Agnes, verified by Church probe.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
Post-1317, a sick child in Montepulciano recovered after prayers at Agnes’s tomb, a cure tradition credits to her, approved by 1608 for beatification.
This early miracle tied to her death’s marvels—flowers, scent—boosted her cult, a sign of her intercession.
Miracle for canonization
In 1725, a Tuscan woman, blind for years, regained sight after praying to Agnes, confirmed inexplicable by doctors. Ratified in 1726, it sealed her canonization.
This healing affirmed her lasting power, completing her sainthood path.
Other notable miracles
- Bread multiplication in Proceno, c. 1280s. - White flowers at death, 1317.
Patronage
Saint Agnes of Montepulciano is patron of Montepulciano, nuns, and chastity.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint Agnes of Montepulciano is celebrated on April 20.
Veneration
Saint Agnes is venerated through prayers for purity, centered at her incorrupt body in Montepulciano’s Santa Maria Novella. With a lily or lamb, her cult thrives locally, her April 20 feast marked by processions. Her life, praised by Catherine of Siena, inspires Dominican devotion.
Books
Written about the saint
- "Life of Saint Agnes of Montepulciano" by Raymond of Capua (14th-century manuscript)
Written by the saint
- No writings survive.