Saint of the Month - February 2022: Blessed Antonia of Florence

Bl. Antonia of Florence

Wife, Mother, Widow, & Abbess

Memorial: February 28th

For February 2022, this ministry would like for readers to meet Bl. Antonia of Florence, another relatively unknown holy woman.  As indicated after her name, she is Italian in origin, having been born in 1401 to a wealthy Florentine family of noble ancestry.  Like most girls of her time and status, her parents married her off at a young age to a gentleman from another prominent family.  The marriage, however, wasn’t destined to be a long one - her husband fell seriously ill and Antonia was widowed in 1428; the couple had one son.

Being that she was still relatively young and very beautiful, not surprisingly, Antonia’s parents began planning another marriage for her.  This time around, though, the young widow firmly resisted.  For some time, she had been discerning an interior call to consecrate herself completely to God and was determined to follow-through while she had the chance.   So after successfully warding off her family’s schemes to remarry her, Antonia made arrangements for the care of her son and entered the local convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Third Order Regular that was recently founded by Bl. Angelina di Marsciano (d. 1435).

Her deep piety so impressed her peers, after a short while Sr. Antonia was summoned by Bl. Angelina to the convent in Foligno to be groomed by her for a position of leadership.  There, under the direct influence of the foundress, she grew even more in virtue and was eventually dispatched to establish a convent of their Order in Aquila.

At the new foundation Antonia was named Abbess and under her leadership the Aquila convent thrived… but despite its spiritual success, she longed for solitude in her quest for a deeper connection with Jesus, her Divine Spouse.  The Religious Order she belonged to was comprised of Third Order Franciscans – Tertiaries who lived together and ministered in the surrounding neighborhoods – so their convent wasn’t cloistered, which allowed for a steady stream of visitors… and to make matters worse, Antonia’s son, when he became an adult, frequently came to see her to complain about his financial woes and other personal problems (he had irresponsibly depleted his inheritance).  Several of her other family members and their acquaintances did the same, posing an unwanted distraction for the Abbess.

Another early representation of

the Bl. Antonia of Florence

As time passed, Antonia became convinced that she needed to leave for a cloistered Poor Clare convent that adhered strictly to the rule of their foundress, St. Clare of Assisi (d. 1253).  She consulted her confessor, who happened to be the holy Franciscan priest - St. John of Capistrano (d. 1456) - and even he advised her to move forward, going so far as to encourage her to start a Poor Clare convent in Aquila!  St. John’s idea sparked a fire in Antonia and, working together, they secured the necessary government permits and Church approval to start work on the convent.

In 1447, Sr. Antonia and twelve companions entered their newly-built home and officially became Poor Clare nuns.  Antonia was elected the first Abbess of the community and, as expected, she was a model superior.  She was not only a true mother to her spiritual daughters, but she exemplified virtue to them, particularly humility, along with the Franciscan ideal of Holy Poverty – she wore the poorest of habits; practiced detachment from worldly goods; performed the lowliest chores; and practiced corporal mortifications.  This convent, too, grew and flourished under Antonia’s capable guidance.

So now that she could focus on attaining a more profound union with God - with considerably less distractions - Bl. Antonia’s spiritual life blossomed with remarkable mystical graces, which were recorded by her companions.  She experienced frequent ecstasies while in prayer, which at times were accompanied by episodes of levitation and/or luminous phenomena in the form of a brilliant aura that enveloped her person.

During the last 15 years of her life, Antonia patiently endured chronic illness until her peaceful death in February 1472 at the age of 71.  By that time her reputation for holiness was already widely circulated in Aquila, and her tomb became an immediate place of pilgrimage. Consequently, many miracles were reported through her intercession and her body was also discovered to be in a state of incorruption.  All served to culminate in the Church declaring her Blessed in 1847.

May God see fit to also raise Bl. Antonia to Sainthood … and hopefully soon.

Above and below are actual photos of the

inexplicably preserved body of Bl. Antonia,

venerated in her Poor Clare convent, Aquila.

One can see the Beata had fine features ...

and a smile still graces her face.

Bl. Antonia of Florence, pray for us!