Juliana Falconieri, O.S.M., (1270 – 19 June 1341) was the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

foundress of the

Religious Sisters A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and lab ...

of the

Third Order The term third order signifies, in general, lay members of Christian religious orders, who do not necessarily live in a religious community such as a monastery or a nunnery, and yet can claim to wear the religious habit and participate in the goo ...

Servite The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

s (

Mantellate Sisters The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

or the Servite Tertiaries).

Biography

Juliana belonged to the noble Falconieri family of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. Her parents had funded the construction of

Santissima Annunziata, Florence The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata (Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation) is a Renaissance architecture, Renaissance-style, Catholic Church, Catholic minor basilica in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is considered the mother chu ...

, the mother church of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

. Her uncle,

Alexis Falconieri The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amadeus, Hugh, Sostene and Buonagiunta) were seven men of the town of Florence who became bound to each other in a spiritual friendship. They eventually felt called by Mary ...

, was one of the seven founders. Under his influence, she decided at a young age to follow the

consecrated life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...

. After her father's death, she received c. 1285 the habit of the Third Order of the Servites from

Philip Benizi Philip Benizi (sometimes Saint Philip Benitius, and in Italian Filippo Benizzi) (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Biography Philip Benizi was born on ...

, then

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

General of that Order. She remained at home following the rule Benizi had given her until her mother's death, when Juliana and several companions moved into a house of their own in 1305. This became the first

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

of the Sisters of the Third Order of Servites. Juliana would serve as

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

until the end of her life.Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Juliana Falconieri." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 30 Aug. 2014
/ref> The Servites' dress consisted of a black gown, secured by a leather girdle, and a white veil. Because the gown had short sleeves to facilitate work, people called the sisters of the new Order ''"Mantellate."'' It is said that "she would often fall in to long moments and hours of ecstacy... She was daily caring for the sick in the streets, homes, and in hospitals..." Juliana directed the community of Servite Tertiaries for 35 years and was more of a servant to her subordinates than a mistress. The sisters main devotion was to

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

and their main activity was caring for the sick. A putative miracle mentioned in the liturgical texts for her

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

, is said to have occurred at Juliana's death. At this time, unable to receive

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

because of constant vomiting, she requested the priest to spread a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

upon her chest and lay the Eucharistic host on it. Shortly after, the host disappeared. Juliana died on 19 June 1341. The image of a cross, just like the one on the host, was found on her breast. Immediately after her death she was honored as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

. The

was approved by

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

in the year 1420.

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII (; ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco (or Pierfrancesco) Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in ...

recognized the devotion long paid to her and granted the Servites permission to celebrate the feast of the Blessed Juliana.

Pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

her in the year 1737, and extended the celebration of her feast day (June 19) to the entire Church."St. Juliana Falconieri, Virgin, Foundress of the Mantellate", Vatican News
/ref> Juliana is usually represented in the habit of her Order with a host upon her breast.

Gallery

Agostino Veracini (Niccolò) Agostino Veracini (14 December 1689 – 18 November 1762) was an Italian painter and engraver. He was the second son of Benedetto Veracini, also a painter. Agostino was the cousin of Francesco Maria Veracini, the violinist and compo ...

Biography

Gallery

References

External links