BL. AGNES OF VENOSA, ABBESS

BL. AGNES OF VENOSA, ABBESS - 1 SEPTEMBER

BLESSED AGNES OF VENOSA, ABBESS

Agnes was abbess of the nunnery of San Salvatore in Venosa in Apulia, and, before she entered the monastery, a servant of the world, but who, at the persuasion of Saint William of Montevergine converted and took the veil.

Formerly a prostitute who was as beautiful as she was rich, she once overheard a conversation at the court of King Roger of Sicily in which the chastity of the saintly Abbot William of Montevergine was mocked. Agnes took it upon herself to seduce him with her charms and cause him to fall. For this purpose she actually visited him in the monastery under some pretext. She then proceeded to display all her charms and all her skills of seduction and succeeded in persuading the saint to invite her into his bedchamber. Saint William went in first. But how shocked she was upon entering his cell to find him lying on a bed of glowing embers, onto which he then invited her to join him.

She turned away in horror, converted from that hour and, with the help of the very abbot joined a convent and subsequently became abbess of the nunnery mentioned above. It was due to her exemplary virtues that Agnes was elevated to the dignity of abbess. She died there with a reputation for holiness [September 1,] 1142.

The Bollandists* provide 1142 as the year of Agnes' death; some hagiographers, such as Wion (editor of a Benedictine martyrology), place her among the "saints", other sources list Agnes of Venosa as “blessed.” The Bollandists*, however, are of the opinion that the abbess Agnes mentioned by Wion must be another Agnes than the one above, who was roughly the same age as Saint William (who died in [June 25,] 1142), while the abbess Agnes mentioned by Bucelin* and others is said to have died in 1160.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 1, Augsburg, 1858, p. 84)

*A hagiography source used by the authors

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Agnes may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org

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