Virginia Centurione Bracelli

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli in the habit of the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge on Calvary

Virginia Centurione Bracelli NSRMC (born April 2, 1587 in Genoa , † December 15, 1651 in Genoa) was a founder of the order and a mystic . Pope John Paul II beatified her in her birthplace in 1985 and canonized her in 2003 .

Church historical circumstances

The almost indestructible body of Sr. Virginia Centurione Bracellis

In the 16th century there was the Protestant Reformation and parallel to it a profound reform of the Catholic Church. In Italy, the coastal republics had lost their previously strong position in trade with the Near and Far East, for example in spices. With the discovery of the New World and other sea routes, trade flows shifted to Spain and Portugal . Northern Italy was caught in the tension between the great powers, and the papal state was militarily weak. Genoa ruled Corsica .

Life

The duke's daughter had to marry against her will at the age of 15 and, in her marriage to Gaspare Grimaldi Bracelli, gave birth to two daughters, Lelia and Isabella. Their marriage was unhappy: her husband gambled away his money and broke the promised loyalty. He died five years after the marriage. Virginia raised her children in the home of her in-laws. During these difficult years her calling to charity developed. The young widow did not follow her father's advice to marry again appropriately, but devoted herself to the poor, the sick and the old. In the armed conflicts between Genoa and Savoy in 1624 and 1625, it offered a home to the persecuted. When the mother-in-law died in 1625, Virginia established the center of the Lord of Mercy, Protector of the Poor, Jesus Christ.

Six years later, Virginia looked after the plague and starving people in another property . The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge on Calvary (Suore di Nostra Signora del Rifugio in Monte Calvario) , also called Brignolininnen, which she leads, alleviated the needs of over 300 people in need. In 1641, Sr. Virginia renounced the leadership of the poor house and the religious order because she wanted to devote herself entirely to working for the poor on the street. In disagreements among the estates in Genoa, she was often able to prove herself as a mediator, and she was also viewed as a mystic.

Adoration

The relics of Sr. Virginia Centurione Bracellis are now in the mother house in the Genoese district of Marassi . Their feast of saints is on December 15th .

literature

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c Stefan Meetschen : Dedicated widow. To commemorate St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli . In: Die Tagespost , December 15, 2012, p. 5.

Web links

Commons : Virginia Centurione Bracelli  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Bracelli, Virginia Centurione
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Order founder, mystic
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1587
PLACE OF BIRTH Genoa
DATE OF DEATH December 15, 1651
Place of death Genoa