September 9 -- Feast of Blessed Serafina Sforza

Jilted Wife's Ex Suffers Player's Regret

Arms of Sforza -- what's with the dragon eating the kid?

There are a few Italian surnames that surface with evident respect in Machiavelli's The Prince: Medici, Borgia, Orsini, Colonna, and Sforza come to mind.  Serafina, the daughter of the duke of Urbino and Caterina Colonna, was obviously a well-connected young lady.  She was orphaned young and grew up in the home of her uncle, Cardinal Prospero Colonna.  At first she had lived with her dad's folks, but the violently unstable political climate necessitated that she live with mom's brother instead. 

At sixteen, she married the forty year old Lord of Pesaro, Alessandro Sforza.  Together, they represented two of the big names of Renaissance Italy and ought to have made a formidable pair.  Sadly, Alessandro had a wandering eye.  What's worse, his pecker followed.  Since he already had two children by a his deceased wife Costanza di Varano, he found Serafina to be to be more hindrance than comfort.  For political as well as personal reasons, he compelled his wife to become a nun. 

Loving the Lord and not missing Big Al

Serafina joined the Poor Clares, Sisters of the Franciscan Order.  This particular Order might seem especially difficult, since they take the vow of poverty so literally, especially since her cardinal uncle seems to have been more worldly than spiritual.  Nonetheless, she blossomed in the convent, eventually attaining the rank of abbess. 

In time, of course, Alessandro wanted her back.  He could not get married again without her (divorce being forbidden by Mark 10:2-12) and adultery is just not the same if your wife is not at home.  For her part, vows were vows -- she'd made two and she did not need to break either one as long as she lived.