Pompeo Batoni, 1743: The Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena. She was a Dominican nun and theologian, the author of 400 letters still in existence, who received her first mystical vision at age six. In time she reportedly levitated, much to the chagrin of the other sisters, who couldn’t understand that this showing wasn’t to glorify her, but to teach them – and us. Pompeo Batoni, 1743: The Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena. She was a Dominican nun, nurse, theologian, diplomat and mystic who received her first vision at age six. At 19 she underwent a “mystical marriage” with Christ in which he fed her Communion himself. She was consistently opposed by her Order, which had her examined for heresy, but in time she began to exert a wide influence, rare for a woman, over Church affairs, advocating for the reunification of the papacy between Avignon and Rome, reform of the clergy and better administration. Over 300 of her letters survive, as well as a Dialogue between a rising soul and God.
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