In the Middle Ages, during the Investiture Conflict, a very powerful Italian woman, Matilda of Canossa, dared to challenge Emperor Henry IV, and she succeeded.
At the time, Pope Gregory VII took refuge in the castle of Matilda of Canossa to escape the wrath of Emperor Henry IV. When the emperor arrived at the castle of Canossa for having lifted the excommunication, Matilda did not let him in immediately. She made him stay out of the castle for three days and three nights, amidst the raging snowstorms.
Love for the Catholic Church was an archetype in the Canossa family. Many centuries later, at the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, another woman, Magdalene of Canossa, challenged her family to give birth to the Canossian Monastic Order, and she succeeded too. The Canossian nuns were cultured and good as speech therapists.
They came to my city of Enna (Sicily) from Brescia, a city in Northern Italy, to take care of two children who were born deaf and dumb. Once in Enna, they excelled in teaching music, painting, embroidery and many other cultural activities. Evidently, the love of Matilda and Magdalene of Canossa was still alive in them.
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
Ettore Grillo's Blog 