Beschreibung:
Combining primary archival research, contextual analysis of the climate of female mysticism, and a re-examination of a number of visual objects, this study sheds new light on the social, cultural and religious impact of the cult of female mystics of Mantua in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. It offers new insight into a complex world of sacred patronage, devotional practices and religious roles for women inside and outside the convent walls.
Contents: Introduction: saints and the city; Popular devotion: Isabella d'Este, the Beata Osanna Andreasi and depictions of female sanctity in Mantua; Friendship and devotion: Margherita Cantelma and Isabella d'Este; Partners in piety: Margherita Cantelma, Isabella d'Este and the monastery of Santa Maria della Presentatzione in Tempio in Mantua; Daughters of devotion: Suor Ippolita Gonzaga and Suor Paola Gonzaga in Mantua; Gonzaga family piety and sisterly affection: Margherita Paleologa, first Duchess of Mantua; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.