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Magdalene of Canossa 1774-1835 MIRACLE PRESENTED FOR THE CAUSE OF CANONISATION |
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THE LIFE OF ST MAGDALENE OF CANOSSA |
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| Childhood... | |
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The Marchioness Magdalene Gabriella of Canossa was born on the evening of 1 March 1774 in the northern Italian city of Verona. She was the third child of Marquis Ottavio and his 21-year-old wife, Countess Teresa Szluha of Hungary. |
| Her birth was not an occasion of joy for her parents; they were hoping for a son and heir. Magdalene was baptised the next day at the parish of San Lorenzo. It was on 21 August 1776 that the couple's only son, Bonifacio was born. | |
| A serene and happy atmosphere reigned in the Canossa household and Magdalene stood out among the children for her vivacious open character. Unfortunately this idyllic situation was not to last. On 5 October 1779 Marquis Ottavio suddenly suffered a seizure in the fields near the family's summer home and died the following day. He was only 39. |
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The young Countess Teresa found herself
alone in the large Canossa palace. Her command of the Italian language was limited, and
her open-minded nature was very different from the somewhat conservative and rigid
Marquises. A few months after Marquis Ottavio's demise, Countess Teresa left the Canossa household to remarry. She left her children behind but kept up an affectionate correspondence with them, especially with her son. Magdalene was seven years old at the time. She shut the tragedy of the incomprehensible separation up in her heart and kept it there for the rest of her life in absolute and respectful silence. |
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