GLI SCRIT TI DI ANGELA MERICI
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WRITINGS OF ANGELA MERICI
Wr i t i n gs of A nge l a Mer ici 1
A n g el a Meri ci did not w r i te, b u t dic t a t ed he r wo r ks to Gab r iele
Cozza no, he r fai t hf u l sec re t a r y a nd t he cle r k of t he Co m p a n y . H e r
t h r ee wo r ks a re t he Rule, t he Counsels, a nd t he Testament. Desi g ned
as r u les of life for t he Co m p a n y of Sa i n t U rs u l a , t h ro u g h t h e
ce n t u r ies t he y h a v e also g uided t he spi r i t u a lit y a nd a ni m a ted t h e
peda go g y of t he m a n y b r a n c h es of Urs u li nes (i n cl u di n g n u ns a n d
con g r e g a tio ns) sp re ad all o v e r t h e wo rld 2.
1. T he R u le
T h e fi rst te x t , i n orde r of ti m e , is su rel y t h e Rule, desi g ned for all t h e
m e m b e rs of t he Co m p a n y of S ai n t U rs ul a .
T h e sea r c h for t he ori g i n a l m a n us c r ipt, or for t he m a n us c r ip t
app ro v ed b y t he diocesa n a u t ho r i t y , h as been u ns u c cessf ul up till
no w . T r a ces of it m us t h a v e bee n lost in th e co u rse of t he Process of
C a no niza tio n, t h a t is, afte r 1 7 7 0 . In fac t, A n to nio G uelfi, a p riest
a n d «p reside n t of t he P ublic Lib r a r y » of Br esci a , cl ai m ed d u r i n g t h e
Process ex a m i n a tio n t h a t he h ad seen it 3.
T h e oldest v e rsion of t he Rule is t he m a n usc r ipt of t he T ri v u lsi a n
Lib r a r y of Mila n , e n titled:
- Regula della Compagnia de Santa Orsola.
“P ape r m a n us c r ipt w i t h a pa r c h m e n t cov e r ; 1 9 . 8 x 1 3 . 6 c m . T wo
bl a n k folios pl us 2 sections, ea c h w i t h 8 folios, t he reb y m a k i n g a
tot al of 3 6 p a ges. T he fi rst 4 pa ges a nd t he six t h a re bl a n k . It is
c a t a log ued: codice 3 6 7 , sc aff.le n. 8 2 , p al c h . to n. 2 .
“ O n p a ge 5 is t he title a nd on pp. 7- 1 3 t he re is a dedic a t ion “ a l
letto re ” . T he i nde x ( “Indice delli c apit toli dell a re gol a ” ) is on p. 1 4 .
O n p. 1 5 (t h a t is, on t he double p. 1 on t he r i g h t h a n d side, a c co rdi n g
to t he ori gi n al n u m b e ri n g wi t h t he n u m be r p u t a t t he top of ea c h
r i g h t h a nd p a ge, st a r t i n g w i t h t he fi rst pa ge) is t he be gi n n i n g of t he
te x t of t he Rule. T he “e x lib r is ” on t he co v e r c a r r ies t he lib r a r y coa tof-a r m s a nd t he c a t a log ue n u m be r . O n t h e fi rst bl a n k s heet a s m a l l
le af r- v ( 1 5 . 7 x 9 . 3 c m ) is at t a c h ed wi t h so me notes of expl a n a t ion ,
w r i t te n i n t wo diffe re n t h a n ds.
“ T h is Regola is di v i ded in to a P rolog ue a nd 1 1 c h a p te rs.. .. [so w as ]
t he h a nd w r i t te n R ule w h i c h w as sen t to Ro me for t he P rocess of
C a no niza tio n a nd w h i c h is desc r ib ed i n t he Su m mariu m
Additionale... ” 4.
Bec a use of so me pa r t i c u l a rs of t he codex , we c a n likel y d a te t h is
m a n u s c ript afte r Dece m be r 1 1 , 1 5 4 5 .
T h e fi rst p ri n ted edition is:
-Regola della nova Co mpagnia di Santa Orsola di Brescia per la quale si
vede co m e si habbiano a governar le vergini di detta Compagnia
accioc chè vivendo christianamente po s sino doppo la lor morte fruir i
1
Drawn from L. MARIANI - RI TAROLLI - ROLLEYNAEVE, Angela Merici: Contribution towards a
Biography, trans. Sr. Ignatius Stone, OSU, Milan 1989.
2
For the setting of the time when the first editions of the Rules were edited, see in G. BELOTTI, La
Compagnia di sant’Orsola dalla crisi al consolidamento (1540-1600), in G. BELOTTI- X.
TOSCANI (eds), La sponsalità dai monasteri al secolo. La diffusione del carisma di
sant’Angela nel mondo, Brescia 2009.
3
Vatican Secret Archive (ASV), S. C. Rituum, Processus, 341, f. 710 r.
4
MARIANI - RAROLLI - O EYNAEVE, pp. 19-22.
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GLI SCRIT TI DI ANGELA MERICI
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beni di vita eterna. In Bresci a , b y Da m i a no T u r li no, u nd a ted; 1 6
u n n u m b e red folios, 2 1 x 1 5 . 3 c m .
T h is is t he fi rst editio n to be p ri n ted. A t le ast t h r ee copies of it a r e
k no w n : in t he Q ue ri ni a n a Lib r a r y of Bresci a (colloc. EE: 1 . m . 1 ); i n
t he V a ti c a n Lib r a r y ( colloc. P rop a g a nd a III. 2 6 2-i n t . 1 ); i n t h e
Britis h Muse u m of London (collec tion 4 0 6 1 e. 2 9/ 1 ) . It c a n be da ted
as fa r b a c k as 1 5 6 9 , a c co rdi n g to t he h a nd w r i t te n note at t h e
botto m of t he f ron tispiece of t he London cop y : «Nell'a n no 1 5 6 9 , co m e
const a dal Lib ro de' Conti nell'A r c h i v io di S. O rsola di Bresci a , fol. 7 3
te r go» 5 .
Man usc r ipt R ule of 1 5 7 2
-Regola della no va co mpagnia di Santa Orsola di bres sa per la quale si
vede, co m e si habbiano a governar le vergini di detta co mpagnia ,
accioc che vivendo christianamente, po s sino doppo la lor morte fruir i
beni di vita eterna.
T h is m a n us c r ipt R ule is i n t he re giste r i n t rod u ced afte r Oc tobe r 2 8 ,
1 5 7 2 6 : Sec ond o Libro della Ven: Compagnia di S. Orsola di Bres cia.
2 Cou nse ls – Tes t a m e n t
T h ese a re t he ot he r t wo wo r ks, bot h v e r y sho r t , dict a ted b y A n g e l a
to G ab r iele Cozza no. As t he ori g i n a ls no lon ge r e xist, we g a t h e r t he i r
desc r iptio n f ro m t he A c ts of t he P rocess of C a no niza tio n.
Arricordi che vanno alli Colonelli or, as t h e y a re us u a ll y c a lled, t h e
Counsels. T he y consist of a Prologue a nd 9 Counsels. A t r a nsc r ipt of
t he m c a n also be fou nd i n t he Sec ondo Libro Generale, b u t w i t h
a l te r a tio ns a nd v a r i a tio ns i n li n g u istic qu alit y , as t he a r c h a i c
w r i t i n g , close r to Bresci a n speec h , w as ofte n s ubstit u ted he re fo r
m o r e lite r a r y fo r m s 7.
Testamento della Madre Suor Angela or , as it is so me ti m es c alled ,
Legacies. It consists of a Prologue a nd 1 1 Legacies 8.
T h e cop y w h i c h is to be fo u nd i n t he Secondo Lib ro Gene r a le is
app re ci a bl y diffe re n t a nd is close r to t he fi rst p ri n ted edition :
Testamento della Reverenda Madre Suor Angela di Bres cia, fro m t h e
h ei rs of Da m i a no T u r l i no, Bresci a 1 5 7 4 .
T h e re is also a cop y i n t he V a ti c a n Libr a r y , b u t t he te x t of t his
editio n diffe rs fro m t he ori g i n a l , a nd – t hi s ti m e – not onl y f ro m t h e
poin t of v ie w of lin g u isti c st y le . Leg a c ies 9 , 1 0 , a nd 1 1 , i n fa ct , h a v e
ea c h bee n di v ided i n to t wo, so t h a t th e wo r k e nds up w i t h a
Prolog ue , 1 3 Leg a c ies, a nd a co n cl usion; bu t a t t he sa m e ti m e , t hese
di v isio ns a nd t he w a y t he y h a v e bee n joined toget h e r h a v e led to a
c h a n g e i n t he o ri gi n a l t ho u g h t 9 .
5
TERESA LEDÓCHOWSKA OSU, La data esatta della prima Regola della Compagnia di S. Orsola
pubblicata a Brescia presso Damiano Turlino, in «Commentari dell'Ateneo di Brescia» 1971,
pp. 131-135.
6
State Archive of Brescia (ASBs), Fondo di Religione, Compagnia di S. Orsola, ff11v-18r. This
Rule was published by P. GUERRINI, S. Angela Merici e la Compagnia di S. Orsola, in
«Memorie storiche della Diocesi di Brescia», Brescia 1936, pp. 90-101.
7
ASV, S. C. Rituum, Processus, 341, ff. 946v-953r.
8
Ibid, ff. 953r-958v.
9
Biblioteca Vaticana, Propaganda III. 262. int. 2.
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GLI SCRIT TI DI ANGELA MERICI
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T h e Counsels a nd t he Te stament we re often pl a ced in t he Rule books
of t he Co m p a n y a nd i n t hose of t he reli g io us of t he O rde r of Sai n t
U rs ul a o r added i n t he appe ndi x .
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