Marianna Fontanella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religious | |
| Born | (1661-01-07)7 January 1661 Turin,Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Died | 16 December 1717(1717-12-16) (aged 56) Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 14 May 1865,Saint Peter's Basilica,Papal States byPope Pius IX |
| Feast | 16 December |
| Attributes |
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Marianna Fontanella,OCD (7 January 1661 – 16 December 1717), also known asMaria degli Angeli orMary of the Angels, was anItalianCatholic member of theDiscalced Carmelites.[1] Fontanella studied with theCistercians as a child and entered the Discalced Carmelites despite the protests of her mother and siblings. She soon became a notedabbess andprioress and in 1703 inaugurated a newconvent of which she herself oversaw the establishment.[2][3]
Her beatification cause commenced underPope Innocent XIII in 1722 and she was titled asVenerable in 1778 underPope Pius VI. She was beatified in 1865 byPope Pius IX.
Marianna Fontanella was born inTurin in 1661 as the ninth of eleven children to the nobleman Giovanni Fontanella, Count ofSantena, and his wife, Maria Tana.[1] On the maternal side she was related to Mara Tana who was the mother ofAloysius Gonzaga and also had ties to theDella Rovere family.[3] In 1667 she schemed with a little brother to imitate the saints and to run off to live "in the desert", but at the time it was meant to happen the two slept in and it spoiled their plans.
Due to her family relationship, she adopted Aloysius Gonzaga as a model for personal holiness and made an effort to imitate his example.[3]
In 1673 she became a student of theCistercians inSaluzzo but the death of her father in 1675 prompted her to cut her education short so that she could return home to Turin where she was until 1677 supporting her mother and siblings.[1] It was in 1677 that she announced her intention to join theDiscalced Carmelites despite her mother and her siblings voicing their opposition to her decision. Fontanella entered the order at theirconvent of Santa Cristina.[2] Fontanella entered because she liked their charism and was fascinated with the examples ofTeresa of Ávila andJohn of the Cross. She was at first overcome with homesickness and at first disliked their pattern of life in addition to not getting along with the novice mistress at the time.
Her reception of the habit of the order on 19 November 1675 saw her assume the religious name of "Maria degli Angeli". She made her solemn profession after the conclusion of hernovitiate on 26 December 1676. She became known for unusual penitential practices which included suspending herself with rope in the form of a cross and binding her tongue in an iron ring.[2]
Fontanella reported experiencing several visions and numerous demonic attacks and staved them off with the aid of her confessor after suffering from these demonic visions for three years.[2] Fontanella became the novice mistress the convent she was stationed at in 1694 and at the same time was made prioress. She was noted for her ardent devotion toSaint Joseph and for her devotion to theBlessed Virgin Mary. People from all over sought her for advice and this included the likes of KingVictor Amadeus II of Sardinia and his wifeAnne Marie d'Orléans.[3]
Fontanella decided to establish a Discalced Carmelite convent named in honour of Saint Joseph inMoncalieri after receiving encouragement fromSebastian Valfrè.[1][3] The convent was inaugurated on 16 September 1703.
Her communitywas about to elect her to a fifth term asprioress but she begged God in November 1717 to let her die if it was His will due to her reluctance to continue in her position. She fell ill not long after and died on 16 December 1717.[2]
The beatification process commenced in 1722 underPope Innocent XIII and she was titled as aServant of God. Her life ofheroic virtue was recognized on 5 May 1778 which enabled forPope Pius VI to confer the title ofVenerable upon her.
The cause gained greater traction whenVittorio Emmanuele II requested thatPope Pius IX celebrate her beatification. The pontiff approved her beatification on 14 May 1865.
Her body lies under the altar in the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Saint Joseph inMoncalieri.
