Sister of Cardinal Troiano Acquaviva (d. 21 March 1747), protector of the Franciscan Order, she was a court lady and friend of Maria Clementina Sobieska, wife of James (III) Stuart, claimant to the throne of England. Like this ‘queen’ who was ‘a woman of heroic virtue’ (L. A. Muratori, *Annali*, ad an. 1735), S. was guided by St Leonard of Port Maurice along the paths of perfection. In the saint’s *Opere complete* (vol. II, Rome 1853; vol. IV, Venice 1868) nineteen letters addressed to her are published, dating from 17 Aug. 1733 to 29 March 1747, with a five-year gap (1742–46); a further letter is published by Fr B. Innocenti in *Operette e lettere inedite* (Arezzo 1925, pp. 103–104). In them St Leonard entrusts her with aiding the needy or thanks her for her benefactions, but above all urges her to detach herself completely from the world, holding up as an example ‘our good queen’ Maria Clementina.
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