Episode 394: Pen Pals with the Virgin Mary (Part 1 of 3)

·1 hr 28 min·5 clips

A German princess smuggles a letter accusing a Roman convent of fraud, sexual abuse, and attempted murder in 1859.

The episode opens with casual banter among hosts Chelsea, Christina, and Mal about card games and cats before transitioning to the topic. Christina introduces the episode as 'Pen Pals with the Virgin Mary (Part 1 of 3)', focusing on nuns and Catholic Church misconduct. She explains that the story is sourced from Hubert Wolf's 2015 book 'The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio', based on Vatican archives unlocked in 1998. The narrative starts with a frame story: in 1859, Princess Katarina smuggles a letter to the Inquisition accusing the Convent of San Ambrogio of serious crimes. The episode then shifts to historical context, beginning in 1806 with the convent's founding by Sister Maria Agnese Firrao, who was believed to be a saint for manifesting stigmata and miracles. In 1816, the Inquisition convicted Firrao of feigned holiness and lewd behavior with a confessor, exiling her. Despite this, Pope Leo VII reopened the convent, and Firrao continued influencing it remotely. The story moves to Princess Katarina, born in 1817, a German princess who became a nun after being twice widowed. Cardinal Carl August Graf von Reisach recommended she join San Ambrogio, warning her of Italy's more mystical religious climate. At the convent, Katarina found that Maria Luisa, a 26-year-old novice mistress from a poor background, held real power. Maria Luisa claimed visions of the Virgin Mary, divine relics like the 'holy mother's hair', a heavenly rose scent, and jeweled rings from Christ. She also produced letters from the Virgin Mary, one advocating for her to lead the convent. However, Maria Luisa skipped services, ate meat on Fridays, and had suspicious interactions with Father Peters. Katarina grew suspicious over 16 months, leading to her escape and report. The episode ends with a teaser for the next part, promising to delve into the secrets Katarina uncovered. Throughout, the hosts discuss themes like women's power in the church, skepticism toward historical accounts, and the politics of smell as a moral indicator.

As heard by us

An exiled convent figure keeps her influence alive through forbidden letters and papal support.

Religious authority turns strange and slippery as Maria Fiero remains in exile yet keeps trying to govern the convent through letters she is not meant to send.

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Why you'd press play

You get a convent leader kept in exile, a pope who cannot quite undo it, and letters that refuse to stay inside the rules.

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