Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome

“This collaborative work is a fine new translation of two unusual hagiographic Lives of the thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna (d. 1280) along with a collection of associated texts, and extensive contextualization. . . . This is an excellent resource for teaching the history of Christianity, especially connected with the Franciscan movement.” —Magistra

"Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is an outstanding resource for teaching the history of Christianity. Juxtaposing two subtly different 'lives' of the late thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna, the authors provide an entrée into a range of fascinating questions about religious identities and visionary experience as well as the influence of authorial gender and status on narrations of holiness. The translations and supporting apparatus are accessible without sacrificing complexity, yielding a rich and stimulating collection for beginners and experts alike." —Maureen C. Miller, University of California, Berkeley

"This volume of translations and extensive commentary is the rare publication that manages to make a major contribution both to scholarship and to teaching. The texts and commentary illuminate the religious and institutional aspirations of one of Rome's most powerful families during a crucial period, but also the devotional and spiritual values alive in thirteenth-century Italy." —Patrick J. Geary, Institute for Advanced Study

"Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is a product of the intellectual generosity of leading historians of female Franciscanism. Offering accessible English translations of the sources for a remarkable holy woman, Margherita Colonna (d. 1280), Field, Knox, and Field open up fascinating lines of inquiry for students of religion, gender, and late medieval sanctity and for anyone interested in the social world of late medieval Rome." —Frances Andrews, University of St. Andrews

“This timely and well-executed volume brings these intriguing texts forth from relative obscurity, and highlights only a few of the rich sources on late medieval Rome of interest to religious and gender historians, Italianists, and literary scholars. Larry Field’s adept translation makes light work of the Latin text’s obfuscations and embellishments, producing an accessible and engaging read.” —Historian

"Margherita Colonna, a Roman noblewoman, embraced poverty, founded an open convent, experienced visions, and died in the odor of sanctity at the age of twenty-five. Her family immediately pressed for Margherita’s canonization, but any hopes for papal recognition of her holiness were quashed when Boniface VIII launched a crusade against the Colonna. What survived this assault were two unusual hagiographic Lives. These texts and related documents are here made available in a fluid English translation, prefaced by an excellent introduction and accompanied by helpful notes, making this a most welcome addition to the growing corpus of records of thirteenth-century sanctity available for classroom use." —Daniel Bornstein, Stella K. Darrow Professor of Catholic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis

“As an aristocratic, unaffiliated Franciscan holy woman living in the middle of a thirteenth-century baronial war, Margherita Colonna was exceptional. Now that her hagiographic lives are the subject of a new translation, researchers, students, and those interested in religion and gender may discover her surprising biography.” —The English Historical Review