Annunziatine of Lombardy

ANNUNZIATINE DI LOMBARDIA. – Congregation of religious women, also called the Sisters of s. Ambrogio or of s. Marcellina, which arose in Pavia in 1408 through the initiative of several pious ladies from Pavia and Venice, under the direction of the Benedictine d. Beccaria. The rule of s. Agostino was adopted. In 1431 the foundresses pronounced solemn vows, and in 1439 they were approved by the Holy See. Under the governance of m. Giovanna di Parma, the Congregation underwent considerable growth, which lasted through the whole of the sixteenth century. The mother superior general resided in Pavia, and three visitators were required to visit all the houses every year. To avoid this continual movement, which greatly harmed the spirit of the institution, s. Pio V replaced the visitators with the secular clergy. They were suppressed under Napoleon, and today only a few houses remain in northern Italy.