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The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Chicago Series
Autobiography of an Aspiring Saint
Charged by the Venetian Inquisition with the conscious and cynical feigning of holiness, Cecelia Ferrazzi (1609-1684) requested and obtained the unprecedented opportunity to defend herself through a presentation of her life story. Ferrazzi's unique inquisitorial autobiography and the transcripts of her preceding testimony, expertly transcribed and eloquently translated into English, allow us to enter an unfamiliar sector of the past and hear 'another voice'—that of a humble Venetian woman who had extraordinary experiences and exhibited exceptional courage.
Born in 1609 into an artisan family, Cecilia Ferrazzi wanted to become a nun. When her parents' death in the plague of 1630 made it financially impossible for her to enter the convent, she refused to marry and as a single laywoman set out in pursuit of holiness. Eventually she improvised a running houses of refuge for "girls in danger," young women at risk of being lured into prostitution.
Ferrazzi's frequent visions persuaded her, as well as some clerics and acquaintances among the Venetian elite, that she was on the right track. The socially valuable service she was providing enhanced this impresssion. Not everyone, however, was convinced that she was a genuine favorite of God. In 1664 she was denounced to the Inquisition.
The Inquisition convicted Ferrazzi of the pretense of sanctity. Yet her autobiographical act permits us to see in vivid detail both the opportunities and the obstacles presented to seventeenth-century women.
Born in 1609 into an artisan family, Cecilia Ferrazzi wanted to become a nun. When her parents' death in the plague of 1630 made it financially impossible for her to enter the convent, she refused to marry and as a single laywoman set out in pursuit of holiness. Eventually she improvised a running houses of refuge for "girls in danger," young women at risk of being lured into prostitution.
Ferrazzi's frequent visions persuaded her, as well as some clerics and acquaintances among the Venetian elite, that she was on the right track. The socially valuable service she was providing enhanced this impresssion. Not everyone, however, was convinced that she was a genuine favorite of God. In 1664 she was denounced to the Inquisition.
The Inquisition convicted Ferrazzi of the pretense of sanctity. Yet her autobiographical act permits us to see in vivid detail both the opportunities and the obstacles presented to seventeenth-century women.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 1996
About the author
Cecilia Ferrazzi
1 book1 followerCecilia Ferrazzi (1609 – 17 January 1684) was a Counter-Reformation Catholic prototype social worker, whose life was extensively involved with establishment and maintenance of women's houses of refuge in seventeenth century Italy.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 7, 2024
she was a dull (derogatory), theatrical (deragotory), insufferable (derogatory) character; her flights of fancy are all over the place, and she comes across as far too unintelligent and uncharismatic to be a saint. i hated her made-up theologically illiterate visions bordering on heterodoxy at times; she had neither the temperament nor the charisma to be a, say, catherine of siena — and it shows
a second-hand gemma galgani's incoherent attempts at sainthood — thankfully unsuccessful!
a second-hand gemma galgani's incoherent attempts at sainthood — thankfully unsuccessful!
November 6, 2013
An interesting book....
This is about Cecilia Ferrazzi, a woman of Venice who lived in the 17th century and who was accused of appropriating the service of the Catholic priest and of possession and thus was tried in the Inquisition. During her trial she asked for the open permission to present her life in writing to the investigating committee. This was usually not allowed as in any Inquisition prosecution the normal mode of inquiring was done by the inquisitor who posed the questions and the accused was left with one choice of answering to the questions.
Cecilia Ferrazzi presents her life and that reminded in many sense the biography of St. Anthony of the Desert written by St. Athanasius. The way she encounters Devils and the way the Devils torment her with beatings of iron rod and the way later Our Lady or any other saint comes to comfort her to go through the sufferings for the sake of the salvation of the souls, resemble a biography of a saint. Even in those days, many considered her as a saint and some others considered her as a possessed person. But there are also some valuable information on the social and ecclesiastical situation of Venice of the 17th century.
There are two introductions at the beginning of the book and they are scholarly and very informative.
The first one is an introduction to the series (Other Voices) to which this book belong. The reason for the subordination of women in the Western society is traced in this introduction. The reasons are traced to Greek philosophy, Roman Law and the Christian Morals, the basis of Western civilization.
Greek philosophy/biology considered women as a defect product. Man is supposed to be the fully formed human being. And a girl would mean that there was a defect in the full formation. And so she is naturally under the complete being, the man.
Roman Law which developed on Greek thinking gave women practically no juridical identity. She could never possess any property; she could claim nothing as an inheritance either from her father or from her husband. She was always considered to be the owned thing of the father or the husband. Pater Familias was the highest responsible person in a Roman family and only a son could again claim that in the absence of his father.
Christian morality later burdened her with guilt feelings accusing her as the collaborator of Satan and the cause of man's fall into sin (the creation account of Genesis).
In such context there were people who spoke for the women and who spoke the different views other than the dominant views. They were identified as the Other Voices. In this sense, Cecilia Ferrazzzi's affirmation for presenting her life as she wanted was a clear attempt to break free from the normal procedures.
The second introduction gives a quick introduction to the Inquisition procedures, the socio-economic situation of Venice of 17th century, the issues related to Cecilia Ferrazzi's case, etc.
This is about Cecilia Ferrazzi, a woman of Venice who lived in the 17th century and who was accused of appropriating the service of the Catholic priest and of possession and thus was tried in the Inquisition. During her trial she asked for the open permission to present her life in writing to the investigating committee. This was usually not allowed as in any Inquisition prosecution the normal mode of inquiring was done by the inquisitor who posed the questions and the accused was left with one choice of answering to the questions.
Cecilia Ferrazzi presents her life and that reminded in many sense the biography of St. Anthony of the Desert written by St. Athanasius. The way she encounters Devils and the way the Devils torment her with beatings of iron rod and the way later Our Lady or any other saint comes to comfort her to go through the sufferings for the sake of the salvation of the souls, resemble a biography of a saint. Even in those days, many considered her as a saint and some others considered her as a possessed person. But there are also some valuable information on the social and ecclesiastical situation of Venice of the 17th century.
There are two introductions at the beginning of the book and they are scholarly and very informative.
The first one is an introduction to the series (Other Voices) to which this book belong. The reason for the subordination of women in the Western society is traced in this introduction. The reasons are traced to Greek philosophy, Roman Law and the Christian Morals, the basis of Western civilization.
Greek philosophy/biology considered women as a defect product. Man is supposed to be the fully formed human being. And a girl would mean that there was a defect in the full formation. And so she is naturally under the complete being, the man.
Roman Law which developed on Greek thinking gave women practically no juridical identity. She could never possess any property; she could claim nothing as an inheritance either from her father or from her husband. She was always considered to be the owned thing of the father or the husband. Pater Familias was the highest responsible person in a Roman family and only a son could again claim that in the absence of his father.
Christian morality later burdened her with guilt feelings accusing her as the collaborator of Satan and the cause of man's fall into sin (the creation account of Genesis).
In such context there were people who spoke for the women and who spoke the different views other than the dominant views. They were identified as the Other Voices. In this sense, Cecilia Ferrazzzi's affirmation for presenting her life as she wanted was a clear attempt to break free from the normal procedures.
The second introduction gives a quick introduction to the Inquisition procedures, the socio-economic situation of Venice of 17th century, the issues related to Cecilia Ferrazzi's case, etc.
November 1, 2022
Assigned for class- an intriguing primary source, the recounting of a woman in her trial before the Venetian inquisition in the seventeenth century. The “autobiography” is filled with brutal and graphic imagery, as Cecilia describes her sacred suffering. One can’t help but sympathize with her as she endlessly and continuously describes her self hatred and uncooperative body (constantly filled with gallstones and other unpleasant issues) which fuels her martyrdom. The format, due to the nature of the text can be hard to follow, and the constant flood of names of places and people is confusing. Her life is not told chronologically either- thus adding to the confusion. Either way, a rather interesting look into the mindset of those who desired to be saintly, and she was truly born in the wrong place at the wrong time- a century or two early, she could have been in the Catholic canon.
April 29, 2025
Автобіографія, написана венеціанкою у сімнадцятому столітті. Чечілія Феррацці дуже хотіла стати частиною церкви, але приданого вистачило тільки на молодшу сестру, тож вона практикувала у світському середовищі, а з часом створила щось на зразок пансіону для дівчаток. Діяльність її, а особливо досвід з видіннями змусили пересваритися між собою купу венеціанських нобілів, аж церква вирішила розслідувати, чи Чечілія не вдає з себе святу. У відповідь вона написала сповідь.
Дивно, як час і обставини формують наше сприйняття: зараз Чечілія може постати дуже нещасною і хворою здоров’ям жінкою, яка попри те намагалася відстояти свою думку (з перемінним успіхом), в процесі не жаліючи ані себе, ані оточуючих і підопічних. Гадаю, вона сама сприймала це як божественне випробування, а прихильники тільки підкріплювали це відчуття, і з часом Чечілія вже не бачила для себе іншого шляху (бо молодша сестра виявилася дуже активною, заснувала кілька монастирів і намагалася забрати Чечілію до себе, а та вже відмовлялася).
Мені її теж шкода, і одночасно – яке вікно у той світ.
Дивно, як час і обставини формують наше сприйняття: зараз Чечілія може постати дуже нещасною і хворою здоров’ям жінкою, яка попри те намагалася відстояти свою думку (з перемінним успіхом), в процесі не жаліючи ані себе, ані оточуючих і підопічних. Гадаю, вона сама сприймала це як божественне випробування, а прихильники тільки підкріплювали це відчуття, і з часом Чечілія вже не бачила для себе іншого шляху (бо молодша сестра виявилася дуже активною, заснувала кілька монастирів і намагалася забрати Чечілію до себе, а та вже відмовлялася).
Мені її теж шкода, і одночасно – яке вікно у той світ.
March 29, 2023
This autobiography is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a unique woman who strived to achieve sainthood in a unique historical context. Ferrazzi's writing is engaging and vivid, providing a detailed account of her own struggles and triumphs, as well as the political and social climate of her time. Though the prose had a lot of obnoxious repetition and other technical flaws, the author is so fascinating, its easy to ignore. Her candidness and honesty about her own flaws and failings make her an endearing and relatable protagonist, despite the obvious differences between her life and my own. 100% a story I would love to see a film adaptation for.
January 17, 2025
A fascinating look at early modern inquisitorial records, but I really wish that this series didn’t excerpt said records so briefly. I would’ve killed for some contextual statements here from other deponents, because part of the fun of inquisitorial testimony is trying to build a picture out of the representations presented in the text, as well as a perception of what the inquisitors themselves are doing. The intro gives a tantalising hint of a class based division of testimonies, and I would’ve loved to see some statements from some of the girls in Cecilia’s dubious care, as well as, perhaps, some from sympathetic priests.
February 12, 2011
This book attracted me because Ferrazzi is a family name and my chosen confirmation name is Cecilia. But my fascination with the story is about a more basic connection, that of being female in a misogynistic world. Granted, we've come a long way in the 21st century Western world. Still, I suspect all women can relate viscerally to Cecilia's singular vulnerability as an independent woman during the Inquisition. The story of her extensive social work outreach, her illnesses and her visitations are all absorbing as factual events. However, what I'm really left with after digesting this story in the context of the "other voice" of the early feminists is an unvarnished image of what a female psyche has to do to survive a gender based attack. The way Cecilia couched her testimony with statements, "whether my visions were from God or the Devil, as I always feared, I leave to my superiors to determine and I will be obedient," and all the name dropping about her father confessors and her obedience to them was a shrewd attempt to not claim anything as originating from her own ego, which could get her killed, but to be subservient to the men who held her life in their hands. God love her! This woman, perhaps a distant cousin of mine and a sister to us all, certainly earned her place in heaven.
February 29, 2016
Wow, to think that this is a true story and the primary sources of this incredible trial have been made accessible to the general public is simply insane.
Cecilia is definitely an interesting woman, and it hard, when reading her autobiography, not to see her as a troubled young woman concerned with the ownership of her body and the religious devotion of 17th century Venice.
Cecilia is definitely an interesting woman, and it hard, when reading her autobiography, not to see her as a troubled young woman concerned with the ownership of her body and the religious devotion of 17th century Venice.
April 27, 2016
This was such a unique and vivid view of the life of a self-proclaimed saint during the Italian Inquisition.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews