Catherine of Siena

A magnificent study, scholarly yet beautifully written, of one of the most intriguing and charismatic women of medieval Europe. Like Francis of Assisi and Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena is known around the world as a great mystic and saint, reformer and teacher. In a turbulent age when Europe was torn apart by war and ravaged by plague and most women were shuttered in kitchens or convents, Catherine was a dynamic and influential figure. She campaigned for peace among the warring factions of her native Tuscany, struggled to reform the church, and helped persuade Pope Gregory XI to leave Avignon and return to Rome. Catherine was revered as a holy woman by her friends and disciples, and nearly assassinated by some of her enemies. She died when she was only thirty-three years old.