Convent
The church is part of the convent of the Bridgettine Sisters. The convent building was owned by Francesca Papazurri, who became a close friend of St Bridget during the Holy Year of 1350. It was at that time known as the Palatium Magnum, The Grand Palace. Bridget lived there for 19 years, and her rooms have been preserved. After Bridget's death, the house was donated to the order's mother house in Vadstena, and it was used as a hospice for Swedish pilgrims and clergy visiting Rome.
In the 16th century, the Reformation brought radical changes. The convent became a refuge for Swedish Catholics who chose exile rather than conversion. Among those who lived here in this period was Johannes Magnus (1488–1544), the last Catholic Archbishop of Sweden. Olaus Magnus arrived in 1549, and set up a printing press in the house. He published the revelations of St Bridget from this press in 1557. As the mother house in Vadstena was suppressed, a cardinal was made protector of the convent. During her exile from 1673 until her death in 1689, Queen Christina of Sweden was its protectress.
The building was restored by Pope Clement XI (1700–1721). Since then, only minor changes have been made to the exterior.
It is possible to visit the rooms of St Bridget and her daughter St Catherine, first abbess of the Bridgettine Sisters. The rooms contain relics of the two saints, and are decorated with paintings from the lives of the saints. Chapels of St Bridget and St Catherine have been installed in their respective rooms.
Read more about this topic: Santa Brigida A Campo De' Fiori
Famous quotes containing the word convent:
“Come, all sad and solemn shows,
That are quick-eyed Pleasure’s foes!
We convent nought else but woes,
We convent nought else but woes.”
—John Fletcher (1579–1625)
“The nightingales are singing near
The Convent of the Sacred Heart,
And sang within the bloody wood
When Agamemnon cried aloud,
And let their liquid siftings fall
To stain the stiff dishonored shroud.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“...as for helping me in the outside world, the Convent taught me only that if you spit on a pencil eraser, it will erase ink.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)