From Worldly Princess to the Foot of the Cross

St. Camilla Battista was an Italian Poor Clare nun from the Renaissance era. She wrote that the Lord conversed with her in a familiar way, communicating to her revelations that she made known through her writings. Not only was she an extraordinary woman of culture, she was a mystic and a profound contemplative. In this comprehensive translation of her writings, the hidden saint is revealed to the English speaking world for the first time.

St. Camilla Battista da Varano was the daughter of a powerful Renaissance duke, Giulio Cesare da Varano. Born in Camerino in 1458, she was raised in her father's court and came to love the things of the world. During Lent in 1466, a sermon changed the direction of her life. She began to shed a little tear each Friday in memory of Christ's Passion. This led to her profound conversion and a desire to devote herself entirely to Christ.

At a young age she entered a Poor Clare monastery in Urbino that had embraced the Franciscan reform known as the Strict Observance. She took the name Sister Battista and dedicated herself to radical poverty. She founded a monastery in Camerino and became abbess. In the monastery, Sr. Battista dedicated herself to a continual suffering with Christ on the cross and became known for mystical and celestial visions.

Saint Camilla was endowed with remarkable intellectual abilities. She wrote extensively, her main works being: Memories of Jesus, The Mental Sorrows of Christ in His Passion, Purity of Heart, and her autobiography. In Mental Sorrows, she describes the inner pains of the human Heart of Jesus which - St. Battista affirms - were much stronger than the physical ones. These revelations nourished her life of contemplation and, down the centuries, that of countless others.

Sr. Camilla Battista died of the plague in her monastery in Camerino on March 31, 1524 at the age of 64. Pope Gregory XVI beatified her on April 7, 1843, while Pope Benedict XVI canonized her on October 17, 2010.

This English edition includes a number of essays and reflections about her life. The saint's writings include all her works mentioned above, in addition to a number of poems, prayers, and other works.

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "[You can] become better acquainted with the Saints [...] by reading their life and their writings. You may rest assured that they will become good guides in order to love the Lord even more and will contribute effective help for your human and Christian development."

May the Holy Spirit enlighten the mind and inflame the hearts of readers so that, like St. Camilla Battista, they can advance more and more in the ways of contemplation.