St.Clelia Barbieri (1847-1870)

[fpb]

Yes, quite right, she is a member of my family. And I am delighted to discover that she is the patron saint of "people ridiculed for their piety". So not only do a lot of my friends have a patron in Heaven - but she is a Barbieri, too! Now there's something to be proud of.

The only photograph of her in existence is genuinely embarrassing. What can I say? The Italian countryside in the nineteenth century was not a focus of good taste. But at least it gives the message very clearly.



When this photo was taken, she was 22, had not yet taken her final vows (as can be seen by the long uncovered hair) and yet had barely one year to live. In her few years, she almost literally moved mountains, setting up a monastic community against the desires of the Italian government (which had dissolved several monastic orders at the same time) and in the face of contempt from her "betters" and hideous humiliations. In 23 years, she managed to do more than most of us will achieve in seventy or eighty. The monastic order she started in a little schoolhouse in a remote village, Budrie, is now spread around the world.

Comments

[sanscouronne.livejournal.com]

That is so amazing, Fabio. Personally, I do not think the photo is half bad (actually, though irrelevant, she is very lovely), though I wonder who asked her to make that gesture.

It does not surprise me that you are related to her. :)

What part of Italy did she come from?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Romagna, the region whose head city is Bologna. My people also include the painter Guercino, who was from the town of Cento in the same area.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Guercino???? Cor, now I'm AWED.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

His name was, I think, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. And there are plenty of Barbieris in that area. My grandfather was one of seven brothers from the middle classes of Ferrara before he went to Rome to pursue a career in banking. Both my father's and my mother's family are ancient, and though neither is noble, both are armigerous.

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

That's really cool! In the off chance that you hadn't already found it, there's also a page about her on the Vatican web site. She actually has the distinction of being the youngest person to found a religious community in the history of the Church.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I know, I visited that page, but it's nice of you to look at it.

[sanscouronne.livejournal.com]

Wow, holy AND entrepreneurial AND willing to engage in civil disobedience.

It's too bad that this kind of woman is not held up as a female role model for girls.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

There is more in what you said than you think - or maybe you know it. I think it can be argued that the different rank of women in western society - which is something which is there from the beginning - as compared with other cultures, begins with the institution of female monasticism. But I have no space to argue it here, or at least it is too late in the evening - I need to sleep. See you.

[sanscouronne.livejournal.com]

Of course, go to sleep! (On the internet, it is easy to forget differences in time and space.)

But I would love to hear your theory about female monasticism and its connection to greater equality in the West. I have heard some version of this before (I took a course on the history of Christianity by a feminist professor at a women's college!), but I am sure that you have some valuable insights.

[filialucis]

I'm with sanscouronne in hoping for a piece on female monasticism and the rank of women. When you've caught up on your beauty sleep. :)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

For any sleep of mine to help with my beauty, it would have to be of Seven Sleepers proportions. Other than that, I'll do what I can.

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

She looks dignified, pious, and brave and bossy. One of those people who make you understand why "Fear not" is often the first thing out of an angel's mouth.

[johncwright.livejournal.com]

Embarrassing? I love that picture. I thought she looked like a saint before I read what you'd written about her.

Please do not mock me for having no taste in photographs until I find out who the patron saint of those mocked for their lack of taste might be.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

To be fair, that gesture of the index finger pointing upwards is met fairly frequently in old pictures and old stories, always with the same meaning. My favourite is that of the old Haydn, who was given a honorary performance of his great masterpiece, The Creation, by the whole musical world and high society of Vienna, Beethoven himself being present. At the end of a stunning performance, the house came down; and in the middle of the universal applause, the ancient composer just smiled and pointed upwards, saying: "Es kam von da oben!" - "It came from up there!" However, I dislike the posed "inspired" upwards gaze, that looks like a million bad religious paintings I have seen. I do not, on the other hand, doubt that it was wholly sincere in her. St.Clelia, in spite of having started out as an assistant schoolmistress, was not very well educated, and her Italian is full of misspellings and dialectal expressions. The more reason to admire what she achieved.

[johncwright.livejournal.com]

If you step from a dark room into a bright one, or from a bright one into a dark one, you are dazzled or blinded, but for opposite reasons. I come from a very dark room.

Being a recent convert to Christianity, I have never seen even one of the million bad religious paintings you mention, and having no reason to come across them. Looking as if with a child's eyes, her expression to me seems utterly sincere, and the gesture is one which, even though I have never seen it before, had a clear meaning.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

Surfing through your LJ because it's interesting.

The one photo of St. Gemma Galgani is posed much the same way. Gemma has hands clasped to her bosom and is looking up to heaven. Definitely a fad in Italian photography at the time.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Much more than in Italian photography, you will find it painted or frescoed in every small church and religious building in the country, especially those built between 1700 and 1950. The photographers were only imitating the example of stereotypical religious art.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, while you are welcome to browse, lurk, or friend, however you feel, if you are interested in religious matters you might want a look at my community, fpb_de_fide.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

"Embarrassing"? It's a beautiful picture - sincerity trumps kitsch every time.