The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio: The True Story of a Convent in Scandal (71 page)

68.
Schwedt,
Döllinger
, p. 133.

69.
Alois Stöger, “Erscheinungen,” in
Marienlexikon
2 (1989), pp. 395–98. Cf. also Bernhard Schneider, “Ein deutsches Lourdes? Der ‘Fall’ Marpingen (1876 und 1999) und die Elemente eines kirchlichen Prüfungsverfahrens,” in Schneider (ed.),
Maria und Lourdes. Wunder und Marienerscheinungen in theologischer und kulturwissenschaftlicher Perspektive
(Münster, 2008), pp. 178–97.

70.
Blackbourn,
Marpingen
, p. 54.

71.
Cf. Cavarzere, “Suppliche,” pp. 145–68, here p. 160; Schreiner, “Maria als Symbolgestalt,” p. 122; Schreiner,
Maria. Jungfrau
, p. 132. Text of the letter: Epistolae B. Virginis Mariae ad Messanenses veritas vindicate ac plurimis gravissimorum scriptorium testimoniis et rationibus erudite illustrate (Viterbo, 2nd ed., 1632). A letter composed in Latin to the city of Florence, and a letter from Mary to Ignatius of Antioch also belong to this genre.

72.
Cf. Blackbourn,
Marpingen
, pp. 17–113; Ludwig Boer, “Briefe,” in
Marienlexikon
1 (1988), pp. 584–89; Stübe,
Himmelsbrief
. On the connection between mystical experiences and heavenly letters, see Spamer,
Himmelsbriefe
, pp. 184–92.

73.
Text of the letter: Camille Fraysse, “Les Lettres d’origine céleste aux pays de Baugé,” in
Revue de Folklore Français
5 (1933/34), pp. 119–22, here p. 120. Ludwig Boer claims that Pierre Bizet’s work
Lettre de la S. Vierge trouvée dans la Chapelle provisoire de Notre-Dame d’Afrique
(Algiers, 2nd ed., 1860) (defending the authenticity
of a letter apparently from the Virgin in heaven, preserved in Algiers) was placed on the
Index of Forbidden Books
in 1862. Cf. Ludwig Boer, “Briefe,” in
Marienlexikon
1 (1988), p. 588. However, this could not be substantiated by the Münster research on book censorship.

74.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo VII: Sr. M. Luisa per più anni sostiene la vantata sua Santità presso il suo confessore P. Giuseppe Peters col mezzo di scritti, e lettere pretese sopranaturali; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

75.
Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 18, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 d, fol. 25r–29r. Subsequent quotations are taken from this text.

76.
Bittner,
Himmel
; Graf,
Himmel
, pp. 10–23; Riedel,
Kirchenrechtsquellen
, pp. 166–75. On the apocryphal letters from Christ, cf. Johann Michl’s overview, “Briefe, apokryphe,” in
LThK
, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (1958), pp. 688–93, here p. 688.

77.
The title “rosa mystica” is a cipher for the Mother of God. This is how Mary is referred to in the Laurentian litany, and elsewhere. See Walter Dürig,
Die Lauretanische Litanei. Entstehung, Verfasser, Auf bau und mariologischer Inhalt
(St. Ottilien, 1990).

78.
In the Christological hymn of the apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 1:15–20), Christ is called the “firstborn of every creature.” The various creeds of the first four centuries speak of “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.”

79.
Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 20, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 d, fol. 30v–34r.

80.
Since 1856, the situation in the Papal States had escalated. Piedmont’s involvement in the Crimean War, fighting alongside the French, gave the nascent Italian national state the opportunity to take more of a stand against papal rule. At the start of June 1859, there was an uprising in Bologna, which rapidly spread to many other cities in the Papal States. Cf. Schmidlin,
Papstgeschichte
, vol. 2, pp. 66–80.

81.
Meaning Saint Agatha of Catania, who was martyred during the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Decius. She refused to enter into marriage with the city prefect, Quintianus, and renounce the Christian faith, and her breasts were cut off as punishment. Cg. Maria-Barbara von Stritzky, “Agathe von Catania,” in Steimer (ed.),
Lexikon
, pp. 24–25.

82.
From the context, it is unclear whether this refers to Gertude of Nivelles or Gertrude of Helfta, also called Gertrude the Great. Cf. Matthias Werner, “Gertrud von Nivelles,” in Steimer (ed.),
Lexikon
, p. 109; Margot Schmidt, “Gertrud von Helfta,” in ibid., p. 108.

83.
Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 21, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 d, fol. 34r–40r.

84.
Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 22, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 d, fol. 40r–45r.

85.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. VII: Esami di Franceschetti, December 22, 1859, January 7 and May 9, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

86.
A summary also appears in Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo VII: Sr. M. Luisa per più anni sostiene la vantata sua Santità presso il suo confessore
P. Giuseppe Peters col mezzo di scritti, e lettere pretese sopranaturali; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c. Subsequent quotations also taken from this text, with additional material from individual interrogation transcripts.

87.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. X: Esame di Sr. Agnese Celeste, March 29, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

88.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. X: Esame di Sr. Giuseppa Maria, March 31, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c. Subsequent quotations also taken from this text.

89.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. X: Esame di Sr. Maria Fortunata, May 7, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

90.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. X: Esame di Sr. Maria Fortunata, May 14, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

91.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. X: Esame di Sr. Maria Veronica, May 23, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

92.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo IX: Disonestà con false massime praticate da Sr. M. Luisa con alcune religiose; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c. Subsequent quotations also taken from this text.

93.
Text by Maria Giacinta, added to the files at her hearing on March 24, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 e, fol.77r–79v.

94.
Cf Scala,
Exorzismus
, pp. 357–86.

95.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XIV: Esame di Sr. Giuseppa Maria, April 2, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

96.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XIV: Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 22, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

97.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XIV: Esame di Sr. Agnese Celeste, March 27, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

98.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XIV: Esame di Sr. Maria Fortunata, May 7, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

99.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo IX: Disonestà con false massime praticate da Sr. M. Luisa con alcune religiose; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

100.
Esame di Franceschetti, September 12, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 m.

101.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo X: Massime erronee e pratiche perniciose; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c. Subsequent quotations also taken from this text.

102.
Regola della Riforma delle Monache del Terz’Ordine di S. Francesco, Cap. V: Del Confessore, e dei Sagramenti della Confessione, e Comunione; ACDF SO St. St. B6 r 1. See also Cornelius M. Rechenauer,
Seelenleitung, Beichte und Kommunionempfang in Frauenklöstern und den übrigen religiösen Genossenschaften mit Laienoberen
(Regensburg, 1909), pp. 9–18.

103.
Regola della Riforma delle Monache del Terz’Ordine di S. Francesco, Cap. VI: Del cibo, e dell’astinenza; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 r 1.

104.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo VIII: Perquisizione degli oggetti; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

105.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo X: Massime erronee e pratiche perniciose, Sallua’s closing votum; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

106.
Esame di Sr. Giuseppa Maria, February 18, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B6 h, fol. 104–5. Giuseppa Maria stressed that she was repeating Maria Luisa’s address word for word.

107.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XV: Esame di Sr. Maria Veronica, May 19, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

108.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo X: Massime erronee e pratiche perniciose; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

109.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo VI: Affettata Santità della M. Vicaria Sr. Maria Luisa, Sallua’s introduction; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

CHAPTER FIVE
“An Act of Divine Splendor”

1.
Ristretto con Sommario dei Costituti Sr. Maria Veronica Milza, Sommario VI: Estratto dagli Esami di Sr. Maria Ignazia; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 d.

2.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo XI: Avvelenamento, Sallua’s introduction; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

3.
Sallua accorded this matter its own, short charge: “Relazione sospetta di Sr. M. Luisa con un tal Dottore di medicina Mario Kreisburg,” within the larger context of Titolo XI. Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo XII; ADCF SO St. St. B 7 c. Subsequent quotations also taken from this text unless otherwise stated.

4.
Cf. “Teufel,” in Gerlach,
Lexikon
, pp. 200–3; Dinzelbacher,
Realität
, pp. 151–75; Schwerhoff,
Hexerei
, pp. 325–53, and the relevant articles in
LThK
, 2nd ed., vol. 10 (1965), pp. 1–5.

5.
Marshman,
Exorcism
, pp. 265–81; William Nagel, “Exorzismus III,” in
TRE
10 (1982), pp. 751–56;
Rituale Romanum Pauli V Pontificis Maximi iussu editum
(Rome 1614–15), Tit. VIII; Adolf Rodewyk, “Exorzismus”, in
LThK
, 2nd ed., vol. 3 (1959), pp. 1314; Scala,
Exorzismus
, pp. 350–436.

6.
This refers to the Spiritus Sanctus College in Brig, founded by the Jesuits in 1662. In 1773 it was dissolved following the prohibition of the Jesuit order. After the ban was lifted, many well-known personalities studied at the Jesuit boarding school, until it was finally nationalized in 1834. Cf.
300 Jahre Kollegium Brig. 1662/63–1962/63. Festschrift zur Jubiläumsfeier der kantonalen Mittelschule des Oberwallis
(Brig, 1963); Strobel (ed.),
Regularklerus
, pp. 384–407. The lists of pupils still available contain only the names of students who received a prize for their final exams. The archive material therefore doesn’t prove whether Kreuzburg attended the college.

7.
Cf. Michael Rosenberger, “Levitation,” in
LThK
, 3rd ed., vol. 6 (1997), p. 864.

8.
Cf. Relazione di Luigi Franceschetti al Santo Uffi zio intorno a cose intese ovedute di una persona creduta indemoniata, June 19, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 m, fol. 52r–65v.

9.
The biography of Kreuzburg that follows is based on various sources: Census 1850 and Census 1860; NARA Washington. Passport applications for Peter Kreuzburg and his children; ibid, Death Register of Pau for the year 1889; Archives de la Communauté d’agglomération Pau-Pyrénées, online:
http://archives.agglo-pau.fr/
(5/2/2012).

10.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo XI: Avvelenamento; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

11.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception (
Immaculata Conceptio
) is celebrated on December 8. Cf. Theodor Maas-Ewerd, “Marienfeste,” in
LThK
, 3rd ed., vol. 6 (1997), pp. 1370–74, here p. 1371; Franz Courth, “Unbefleckte Empfängnis Marias,” in
LThK
, 3rd ed., vol. 10 (2001), pp. 376–79.

12.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XXIII: Esame di Sr. Giuseppa Maria, April 2, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

13.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XXVI: Esame di Sr. Maria Giacinta, March 17, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

14.
There are many references in the literature to this ritual as a sign of penitence, for example in the Barnabite orders. Cf. Wilhelm David Fuhrmann,
Handwörterbuch der christlichen Religions- und Kirchengeschichte
, vol. 1 (Halle, 1826), p. 208; Pierre Hélyot,
P. Hippolyt Hélyots ausführliche Geschichte aller geistlichen und weltlichen Klosterund Ritterorden führ beyderley Geschlecht
, vol. 4 (Leipzig, 1754), p. 129. The ritual was also used by the Benedictine nuns of the Perpetual Adoration. Cf. Joseph Huguet,
Die Andacht zum allerheiligsten Herzen Jesu in Beispielen. Oder die Vortrefflichkeit der Gebete und Andachtsübungen zu Ehren des allerheiligsten Herzens Jesu, nachgewiesen durch viele Beispiele und Wunder aus dem Leben der Heiligen unserer Zeit
(Regensburg, 1863), pp. 164–66.

15.
Cf. Paolo Regio,
La miracolosa vita di S. Francesco di Paola
(Naples, 1581), p. 91; Giuseppe Maria Perrimezzi,
La Vita di San Francesco di Paola, fondatore dell’ordine de’ Minimi
(Venice/Milan, 1764), p. 279.

16.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XXV: Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 21, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c (printed version); ibid., B 6 d, fol. 34r–40r (original).

17.
Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XXV: Esame di Sr. Maria Francesca, February 22, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c; ibid., B 6 d, fol. 40r–45r (original).

18.
Relazione informativa con Sommario, Titolo XI: Avvelenamento; ACDF SO St. St. B 7 c.

19.
Esame di Sr. Agnese Celeste, March 27, 1860; ACDF SO St. St. B 6 e, fol. 52–54. Cf. also Sommario della Relazione informativa, no. XXVII; ibid., B 7 c.

20.
On the individual poisons used, see the relevant entries in the various volumes of
Hagers Handbuch
; on the use of quicksilver and atropine, see Eikermann,
Frauen
, here also especially the general remarks on murder by poisoning.

21.
The statements from the nuns were very reliable, and corroborated each other in detail, in terms of the poisons used, their preparation, the places where the poisons were mixed, and where the ingredients came from. But regarding the dates of the individual acts of the tragedy, and therefore the chronology of the whole affair, the statements differed quite fundamentally. They mixed up days of the week, confused the sequence of events, and made a jumble of the dates. But this was by no means intentional; it is quite typical of witness statements during police investigations or before a court. Recent neurological research suggests that this is simply an effect of the way human memory works. Places and things are frequently remembered exactly, while dates are easily confused. In recent
historical research, this means that the chronological value of sources reliant on memory, like autobiographical texts and witness statements, is regarded with a certain degree of skepticism. Cf. Fried,
Schleier
, pp. 49–56 and passim.