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Saint Camilla Battista da Varano, O.S.C., (April 9, 1458 – May 31, 1524), from Camerino, Italy, was an Italian princess〔(Princess on Earth, Saint in Heaven. ) (Feb, 23, 2010). Villa, Carmen Elena. ''Zenit''. Retrieved Feb 27, 2010.〕〔 and a Poor Clare nun and abbess.〔 She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. ==Early life== Varano was born out of wedlock in Camerino, Macerata, in the Marche region of Italy, the daughter of noblewoman Cecchina di Maestro Giacomo and Giulio Cesare da Varano, the Duke of Camerino.〔 She was introduced to, and educated in, the splendor of the court.〔(Villa, Carmen Elena, "Blessed Camilla Battista da Varano Answered Vocational Call", Zenit, October 13, 2010 )〕 Both her father and stepmother were very fond of her, and she grew up in the splendour of the court, receiving a noble education (as she was the princess) which included grammar and rhetoric.〔Paul Lachance. Battista da Varano (1458-1524): A Survey of Her Life and Writing as a Poor Clare Visionary. Mystics Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 1 (March 1994), pp. 19-25.〕 When she was 8 or 10 years old (here autobiography says 9) Varano heard a Good Friday sermon preached by the Observant Franciscan friar, Domenico of Leonessa, who later became one of her many confessors. Domenico had ended his sermon by exhorting his hearers to shed one teardrop for Christ's passion. This sermon made a deep impression on Varano. Later she vowed to God to shed a tear of love for Christ's passion every Friday. Initially she found this troublesome, and she would try to squeeze out a tear, sometimes with no success, although after it had been squeezed she would quickly jump up to run away and play. Initially she had no stomach for the things that were affiliated with the spiritual life such as devotions, and she would make fun of friars and nuns.〔 Varano persevered in her vow, however, and one day came across a booklet that contained a meditation on the Passion of Christ divided into fifteen parts (to be recited like a Rosary) and she began to read it every Friday, while on her knees before a crucifix. She also then began other practices such as fasting on bread and water, keeping night vigils, which she found helped her tears to flow more freely. At this time she continued to spend time playing music, singing, dancing, promenading, and other youthful pursuits abundant in court life that she would later look upon as vanities.〔 During the Lent of 1479 Varano listened to a sermon of Observant Franciscan friar Francesco of Urbino, whom she described as "the trumpet of the Holy Spirit". This sermon struck her deeply. After another sermon by the same friar (with whom she secretly corresponded) on the feast of the Annunciation, March 24, 1479, she then took a vow of chastity; she was 21 at the time. At this same time, she also began to increasingly hear voices inside her telling her that her only hope of salvation was to become a nun.〔 Varano then had a bitter internal struggle, while dealing with sneers and gossip behind her back by members of the court, and her father initially opposed her wish to enter into consecrated life, wishing her to marry.〔(New saint was a princess ). (Feb 24, 2010). ''CathNews USA''. Retrieved Feb 27, 2010.〕 After a confession of her sins to a certain Friar Oliviero on the Octave of Holy Saturday, April 17, 1479, she decided that she would enter the Poor Clare monastery at Urbino, which was under the reform of the Strict Observance of the Order.〔 During the next two and half years before she entered the monastery, she reported having very deep conversions with Christ, and she received many divine visitations. She claimed that Jesus had given her 'three fragrant spring lilies': an intense hatred of the world, a heart-felt humility and a burning desire to endure evil. She composed her first written work in this time, a ''Lauda'' (''Praises''), which was about the joy she felt in knowing that Christ loved her. She claimed that she once saw Christ (in answer to her desire to see Him), but she saw only His back as He was walking away.〔 She also experienced seven months of severe physical illness and depression.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Camilla Battista da Varano」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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