Sperandia (or Sperandea) (1216 – September 11, 1276) is venerated as a saint by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Life

Sperandia was born in

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia ( Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. History The city's origins are very ancie ...

. It is often said that she was a relative of Saint Ubald, but there are no records to indicate that. She spent years as a hermit in a grotto in Monte Acuto. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she spent the next ten years visiting the holy places and shrines in Rome and throughout Italy. She then joined the small

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

Monastery of Saint Michael in

Cingoli Cingoli is a town and ''comune'' of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII. History The town occupies the site of the ancient ''Cingulum'', a town of Pice ...

, where she was later elected

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

. One legend tells that she could provide delicious cherries to feed hungry laborers in the middle of January. The legend is recalled in a painting by Pier Simone Fanelli in the ''Chiesa di Santa Sperandia'' in Cingoli, which depicts an angel presenting the nun with a basket of cherries. She died in 1276.

Veneration

Known for her prayers and penances, the people of Cingoli claimed her as the patron saint of the city. The Monastery of Saint Michael was later named after her; her remains lie in the adjoining church. Sperandia is depicted in

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpieces, religiou ...

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...

for the

Church of San Domenico Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

in Cingoli, the 1539 ''Madonna del Rosario''. She stands between the kneeling Saint Esuperanzio and

Peter of Verona Peter of Verona (1205 – April 6, 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr and Saint Peter of Verona, was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was kil ...

, holding lilies and a crucifix.Berenson, Bernard. ''Lorenzo Lotto: An Essay in Constructive Art Criticism'', G.P. Putnam's sons, 1895, p.257
/ref> There is an annual pilgrimage in August to ''Le Grotte di Santa Sperandia'' on Monte Acuto where Sperandia spent time as a hermit.

References

External links

Santa Sperandia
{{Authority control 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Benedictine nuns Italian saints 1216 births 1276 deaths 13th-century Christian saints Incorrupt saints Christian female saints of the Middle Ages