The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio: The True Story of a Convent Scandal"The story of a scandal of epic proportions at the heart of the Catholic church - told by one of the world's leading papal historians; A true, never-before-told tale, of poison, murder, and lesbian initiation rites in a nineteenth-century convent - recently discovered in a Vatican archive; Starring a German princess, the Pope, the Inquisition - and the real-life fantasies of the convent's beautiful young mistress. Discovered in a secret Vatican archive, this is the true, never-before-told story of poison, murder, and lesbian initiation rites in a nineteenth century convent. In 1858, Katherina von Hohenzollern, a German princess recently inducted into the convent of Sant'Ambrogio in Rome, wrote a frantic letter to her cousin, a confidant of the Pope, claiming that she was being abused and feared for her life. The subsequent investigation by the Church's Inquisition uncovered the extraordinary secrets of Sant'Ambrogio and the illicit behavior of the convent's beautiful young mistress, Maria Luissa."--Publisher's description. |
Contents
Save Save Me | 3 |
Such Turpitudes Katharina von Hohenzollern Complains to the Inquisition | 7 |
The Delicatezza of the Matter as Such Extrajudicial Preliminary Investigations | 46 |
I Am the Little Lion of My Reformed Sisters The Informative Process and the Devotees of the Mother Founder | 82 |
Wash Me Well for the Padre Is Coming The Madre Vicarias Pretense of Holiness | 121 |
An Act of Divine Splendor Murder on the Orders of the Virgin | 166 |
It Is a Heavenly Liquor The Offensive Process and the Interrogation of the Madre Vicaria | 210 |
That Good Padre Has Spoiled the Work of God The Interrogations of the Father Confessor and the Abbess | 250 |
Sorrowful and Contrite The Verdict and Its Consequences | 320 |
The Secret of SantAmbrogio as Judged by History | 363 |
Acknowledgments | 373 |
Notes | 377 |
Sources and Literature | 449 |
Illustration Credits | 467 |
469 | |
A NOTE ON THE TYPE | 479 |
Common terms and phrases
abbess ACDF SO St Agnese Celeste Agnese Eletta Ambrogio archive became believed blessing cardinal vicar Catholic cell Christ Church confession Congregation consultors convent Costituti cult Curia devil died divine Dominican Esame father confessor Franceschetti gave Gubbio Hohenlohe Hohenzollern Holy Office ibid informativa con Sommario Inquisition Inquisition’s inquisitor interrogation investigating judge Jesuit Katharina von Hohenzollern kissed Kleutgen Kreuzburg LThK madre vicaria Maria Agnese Firrao Maria Francesca Maria Giacinta Maria Giuseppa Maria Ignazia Maria Luisa Maria Maddalena Maria Veronica mother founder mystical novice mistress nuns nuns of Sant’Ambrogio Office’s Padre Leziroli Padre Peters papal Patrizi Pius poisoning pope pope’s priest princess quotations also taken Relazione informativa religious Ristretto Ristretto con Sommario Roman Roman Inquisition Rome saint Sallua San Marziale Sant’Ambrogio sexual Sister Maria Society of Jesus Sommario della Relazione Subsequent quotations supernatural theology things tion Titolo told trial tribunal veneration vicaress Virgin Mary visions witness Wolter Zingeler