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Convent Spaces and Religious Women: a Look at a Seventeenth-Century Dichotomy

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Convent Spaces and Religious Women: a Look at a Seventeenth-Century Dichotomy Convent Spaces and Religious Women: A Look at a Seventeenth-Century Dichotomy A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Elizabeth A. Jones March 2008 2 © 2008 Elizabeth A. Jones All Rights Reserved 3 This dissertation titled Convent Spaces and Religious Women: A Look at a Seventeenth-Century Dichotomy by ELIZABETH A. JONES has been approved for the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and the College of Fine Arts by Charles S. Buchanan Associate Professor of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts Charles A. McWeeny Dean, College of Fine Arts 4 ABSTRACT JONES, ELIZABETH A., Ph.D, March 2008, Interdisciplinary Arts Convent Spaces and Religious Women: A Look at a Seventeenth-Century Dichotomy (204 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Charles S. Buchanan Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori is a seventeenth-century Roman convent that was built between 1642-1667 and was founded by a woman, Duchess Camilla Virginia Savelli Farnese, the wife of Duke Pietro Farnese. It remains as a paradigm that seventeenth-century female monasteries were spaces of freedom and peace for religious women, where the nuns exerted their agency (that is, the power to discern and to choose). They were not penitentiaries with inmates, as some have considered them to be. Camilla's agency created a place in which women could seek the ancient Christian pursuit of purity of heart and experience spiritual perfection. The women at S.M. dei Sette Dolori were not unique. They were following in the footsteps of many women before them as far back as Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. Indeed, the dichotomous nature of convents – confinement and freedom – is a fundamental element of Christian monasticism. This dissertation will contribute to current scholarship regarding female monasticism in order to support and highlight the religious women who exerted their agency to choose a life they so desired; to explicate further how the dichotomous nature of convents is endemic to true ascetic monasticism; and to untangle some of the misperceptions imposed upon this lifestyle. Two art forms will be examined: Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori represents 5 seventeenth-century female monasticism, and Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Suor Angelica, represents the persistent and pervading misinterpretations and misconceptions of seventeenth-century convent life as incarceration. An interdisciplinary approach will be employed, utilizing architectural analysis and theory, social history, archival examination, musicology, and feminist theory and rhetoric. Applying these methodologies to the specific artworks mentioned above will expose misinterpretations, clarify misunderstandings, and offer alternative meanings, thus exhibiting that the convent is not a prison and its women are not inmates. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Charles S. Buchanan Associate Professor of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Such an endeavor as this dissertation could not have been accomplished without the assistance and support of many individuals. My committee chair, Dr. Charles S. Buchanan, was an invaluable source of scholarly wisdom and academic excellence throughout the process. My topic emerged out of a conversation we had about convent architecture, and from there my passion grew. The other committee members from whom I garnered wisdom are Dr. Dora Wilson, Dr. William Condee and Dr. Benita Blessing. Dr. Wilson encouraged me to think “outside the box.” Dr. Condee advised me about life’s priorities. Dr. Blessing helped guide me in my research. Dr. Alessandra Raegno graciously helped me with Italian translation editing and assisting with communicating with my contacts in Rome. Maria Milano, my Italian instructor, was integral in assisting me in Italian conversation and translation. Dr. Ernie Pinson was invaluable as the editor of my first draft, words of gratitude pale in comparison to his wisdom and effort. In Rome, I extend heartfelt gratitude to the following people: Fr. Patrick Carroll and Fr. Phillip Allen, as well as Fr. Ubaldo and Odir Diaz of the Order of the Servants of Mary at San Marcello and their School of Theology at St. Alexis Falconieri International College – I treasure their selfless guidance and friendship; Sisters Agnese, Lorenza and Father Enrico Heinrich at S.M. dei Sette Dolori – they were gracious to me while I worked in their archive; Mother General Maria Rafaela Funari of the Congregazione Suore Oblate del Bambino Gesù who gave me permission to visit the convent archive; Sister Catherine Mary at the Vatican Library; kind Giuseppe at Sant’Agostino; and my special friends Anna Dolciotti and Elena Garro. Sharon Payne helped me immensely 7 during my first visit to Rome as a guide and translator. Kirstin Noreen from Louisiana State University assisted me with initial contacts at Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori. I am especially grateful to Dr. Marilyn Dunn who contributed to my archival research in the U.S., and Dr. Carolyn Valone for her input and encouragement during my second visit to Rome to study the monastery archive. I wish to also thank Heather Pinson whose friendship and support – emotional, mental and financial – is immeasurable; Pamela Rossi-Keen for her personal and academic insights and inspiration; and Liz Ruchti for her encouragement and guidance with my writing. I am ever grateful to my Mom, Dad and my brother Karl for always believing in me to do great things. Rachael and Joshua, my daughter and son – they saw in me what I hope they see in themselves. To my husband Howard – a Ph.D. should be conferred upon him for all he has walked me through these past five and a half years. His unwavering support and love when I was ready to quit, or was unlovable, remained true and strong. I am forever indebted to God for this man – he is my example of God. And ultimately, I am grateful for God’s faithfulness to guide me through the wisdom and leadership of the many people listed above. 8 To Howard, My husband and best friend 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract............................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures................................................................................................................... 11 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter One − Monastic Origins Echoed in the Catholic Renewal........................................ 23 Asceticism............................................................................................................. 29 Virginity................................................................................................................ 35 From Anchorite to Coenobite ............................................................................... 38 From the Laura to the Monastery ......................................................................... 52 Early Ammas: Religious Women in Early Christianity ....................................... 56 Macrina the Elder: Sister of St. Basil of Caesarea and St. Gregory of Nyssa......................................................................................................... 64 Pachomius’ Sister Mary at Tabennesi....................................................... 68 Paula – the Friend of St. Jerome ............................................................... 70 Spiritual Resolve in Female Asketes ........................................................ 72 Sette Dolori echoes ancient Christian ideals within Tridentine dictates... 76 Chapter Two – Seventeenth-Century Roman Conventual Space ....................................... 79 Borromini: His Influences and Style in S.M. dei Sette Dolori ............................. 82 The Façade, Atrium and Church.......................................................................... 95 The Cloister and Living Quarters ....................................................................... 116 10 Chapter Three – The Voices of the Women ................................................................... 131 Suor Angelica – its history and its musical legacy ............................................. 135 Voices heard from S.M. dei Sette Dolori and twentieth-century fiction ............ 154 The Suor Angelica Dichotomy ........................................................................... 167 Conclusion –Through Twenty-First-Century Lenses ..................................................... 172 Echoes................................................................................................................. 172 Space................................................................................................................... 178 Voices ................................................................................................................. 185 Final analysis ...................................................................................................... 187 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 190 11 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Laura of St. Marcarius ....................................................................................41
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