ANTONIA OF BRESCIA. - Dominican mystic, b. in Brescia around 1407, d. in Ferrara on 27 Oct. 1507. Of the Guaineri family, she grew up most virtuous from infancy. Having entered the monastery of the Dominicans of St. Catherine Martyr in Brescia, she lived apart, loving humiliations. At the age of 40, however, she was placed at the head of a group of religious charged with restoring the observance in the monastery of St. Catherine Martyr in Ferrara.

Her wise direction transformed the Ferrarese house into a model of full regular life, which she infused into other monasteries. But A.'s severity aroused some discontent; the vicar general deposed her from the prioress's office, assigning her the last place in the community after the lay sisters. A. was glad of this; later she was restored to office. A partaker of exceptional divine favors (visions, voices), she died a centenarian. The cult immediately rendered to her has not so far been officially sanctioned by the Church. The Bollandists have placed her deeds under 27 Oct.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: Acta SS. Octobris, XII, Paris 1867, pp. 407-409, with the biography by Serafino Razzi; Année Dominicaine, Octobre, Lyon 1902, pp. 768-83; X. Faucher, s. v., in DIIG, III, col. 846.

Angelo Walz

@incollection{ec1_antonia_di_brescia, author = {Walz, Angelo}, title = {Antonia di Brescia}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {I}, pages = {1521}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1948}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/antonia-di-brescia} }

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Antonia of Brescia

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