St Franca Visalta of Piacenza, Virgin & Abbess

From Ana StPaul

St Franca Visalta OCist (1170-1218), Virgin Abbess in Piacenza and Pittolo, Foundress of a Cistercian Convent. Born in 1170 in Piacenza, Italy and died on 25 April 1218 in Pittoli, Italy of natural causes. Also known as – Franca of Piacenza, Francesca da Vitalta.

Franca was born into the Visalta family in Piacenza in Italy in the 12th Century. Even before her 7th year, she began to develop her beautiful virtues and soon expressed to her parents her desire to devote herself to God wholeheartedly in the Monastery. She was, therefore, taken in by the Benedictine nuns of St Syri in Piacenza, where she received her education.

At the age of 14 she entered the same Convent as a Novice. There she became a lamp of all virtues for her fellow sisters and in the wounds of her divine Saviour she found her most blissful consolations.  In 1206 she mediated between her hometown and Pope Innocent III and by her efforts, peace was restored. After the death of the Abbess, Franca was unanimously elected by her fellow sisters, who were around fifty in number, to be their Abbess. In this capacity she sought to promote godliness in every possible way, especially the spirit of mortification which is said to be the first adornment of a monastic community. In order to achieve this goal, however, she had to endure great difficulties and was finally removed from her office..

Nevertheless, one of the Nuns, Sister Carentia, agreed with her discipline. When Sr Carentia left St Syri Convent and entered the Cistercian Novitiate at Rapallo. Around the year 1216, Franca convinced her parents to build a Cistercian house at Montelana. There, she became the Abbess of the community at of Santa Maria di Montelana and Sr Carentia joined her there and was appointed as the Prioress. The community later moved to Pittoli.

Sanctuary of St Franca built in the 19th Century on the site of the former Monastery of Santa Maria di Montelana. Montelana used to be the name of the mountain on which the Monastery stood.

Franca consistently maintained the severe penances she imposed on herself, even in the face of poor health. She spent most nights in the chapel, praying for hours.

She died in this Abbey on St Mark’s Day 1218. Her Relics were later translated to Piacenza where they are today, in the Church of San Raimondo.

Relics of St Franca at the Church of St Raimondo

Franca was Beatified on 21 March 1273 by Pope Gregory X and Canonised by Pope Paul V in the early part 17th Century.