Frances of Rome, born into Italian nobility in the 15th century, challenged expectations early on. At eleven, she expressed a wish to join a convent, a plan diverging sharply from her parents’ intentions of marrying her into wealth. Despite her aspirations, Frances found herself wed at thirteen to a wealthy landowner, Lorenzo dei Ponziani, marking the beginning of a forty-year marriage grounded in devotion.
Rome during this era was far from its later celebrated self, grappling with internal conflicts, natural disasters, and widespread disease. It was against this tumultuous backdrop that Frances, alongside her sister-in-law Vannozza, extended support to those battered by disease and conflict. Her life, too, was marred by adversity: the invasion and pillaging of her home by Ladislaus of Naples in 1409, and the subsequent exile of her husband. Such events, while not rare for the period, posed significant personal trials.
Upon Lorenzo’s return in 1414, a shadow of his former self, Frances’s care was unwavering. Her charitable deeds during these trying times won her renown, drawing others to her cause of self-sacrifice and service. This led to the founding of the Benedictine Oblates of Monte Oliveto on August 15, 1425, a community blending familial and communal obligations, which received papal approval in 1433. The community’s constitution was sanctioned in 1436, the same year Frances, now a widow, joined the order she founded.
Frances’s life came to a close on March 9, 1440, after fifty-six years of relentless dedication to her fellow citizens and acts of charity. Despite personal losses, including the death of two children and witnessing her husband’s downfall, her commitment to helping others never wavered. Canonized on May 29, 1608, her legacy endures, with her tomb at Santa Francesca Romana a testament to her life’s work, and her community continuing its educational mission.
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
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