Catherine of Siena

Abstract

The history of Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), a holy woman who was actively involved in the religious and political world of fourteenth-century Europe, has been frequently studied. Many of these historical narratives base their portrayals of Catherine of Siena on the writings of those who observed her in life. For example, the Dominicans Raymond of Capua and Thomas Caffarini, who knew Catherine of Siena, wrote influential hagiographical texts that continue to shape our perceptions of who she was. While our contemporary understanding of Catherine’s historical persona is often based on the writings of her male supporters, her own words are frequently overlooked as a fruitful source of her life and times. Yet, Catherine of Siena left a significant literary legacy that tells a story of her intellectual and religious sensibilities. Catherine of Siena’s three works that have come down to us are the Epistole, Le Orazioni, and Il Dialogo della divina provvidenza. Debate regarding how she recorded her works, that is either by writing in her own hand or by dictation, has previously clouded the richness of her literary creations and has led some to question the authenticity of Catherine’s authorship. Recent scholarship that focuses on the content of these works, however, points to a unique religious and literary voice that most certainly belonged to Catherine of Siena.