Autobiography of an Aspiring Saint (Paper)

Cecelia Ferrazzi's inquisitorial autobiography and the transcripts of her preceding testimony are here transcribed and translated into English, allowing the reader an insight into an unfamiliar sector of the past.



Charged by the Venetian Inquisition with the conscious and cynical feigning of holiness, Cecelia Ferrazzi (1609-1684) requested and obtained the unprecedented opportunity to defend herself through a presentation of her life story. Ferrazzi's inquisitorial autobiography and the transcripts of her preceding testimony are here transcribed and translated into English, allowing the reader an insight into an unfamiliar sector of the past and to hear "another voice" - that of a Venetian woman who had extraordinary experiences and exhibited exceptional courage.