Agnes of Montepulciano

Agnes of Montepulciano was born in 1268 at Gracciano, a village near Montepulciano in Tuscany, into a noble family. From early childhood she showed a marked inclination toward prayer, silence, and austerity. At about the age of nine she obtained her parents' consent to enter a local monastery of women living a simple penitential life, a community sometimes identified with the so-called Sisters of the Sack. Even as a child in the cloister she was noted for obedience, fasting, and a particular devotion to the Eucharist and to the Virgin Mary. Near-contemporary accounts present her as unusually mature in spiritual matters for her years.

When she was about fifteen, Agnes was sent with a small group of sisters to Proceno, a town then in the Papal States, to help establish a new monastery. There she was soon chosen as prioress, despite her youth, a choice later explained in the tradition as a recognition of her prudence and holiness. The principal source for her life is the fourteenth-century biography written by the Dominican Raymond of Capua, who gathered testimony from those who had known her. That vita attributes to her numerous visions, miraculous healings, and extraordinary phenomena such as levitation during prayer and the reception of Holy Communion from an angel. She is also said to have received from the Virgin Mary a small image of the Christ Child, which became an object of local devotion. After some years of government at Proceno she was recalled to Montepulciano at the request of the townspeople.

Around 1306 Agnes founded in her native town a monastery that was placed under the Rule of Saint Augustine as observed by Dominican nuns and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. She served as its prioress until her death. Under her guidance the house became known for strict observance, poverty, and contemplative prayer. She continued to be regarded as a wonder-worker and as a spiritual counsellor to both religious and lay people. Her health, already weakened by lifelong austerities and by reported mystical experiences, declined in her later years. Traditional narratives describe her as bearing physical sufferings with patience and as remaining devoted to the Divine Office and to the care of her community until the end.

Agnes died at Montepulciano on 20 April 1317. Her body was reported to remain incorrupt and soon became the focus of a local cult. Pilgrims visited her tomb, and miracles were attributed to her intercession. Raymond of Capua, later Master of the Order of Preachers and also the biographer of Catherine of Siena, composed her life, which spread her reputation beyond Tuscany among Dominicans and others. Her liturgical cult was later confirmed by the Holy See, and she was formally canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Her remains are still venerated in the church attached to the monastery she founded in Montepulciano. The Catholic Church keeps her feast on 20 April, and she is honored as patron of Montepulciano.