Foligno, Italy: Saint Angela of Foligno
About Foligno and Saint Angela of Foligno:
About 15 miles south of the town of Assisi lies the small town of Foligno. Angela was born in 1248 to a wealthy family and lacked for nothing in the material sense. After an early marriage, during which she failed to take her vows seriously and engaged in a wildly decadent lifestyle, she began to sense an emptiness that many feel when worldly pleasures are just not enough.
After the death of her husband around 1290, she prayed in desperation to Saint Francis of Assisi, who later appeared to her in a dream.
Soon after all of her children died as well as her parents (exact details are not known) and she began to develop a reputation for the holiness of her lifestyle. She established a community of sisters in Folgino that lived according to the Rule of the Third Order. This allowed them to engage in works of charity without being cloistered.
Saint Angela is perhaps not as well-known as some other mystics, which is unfortunate since she accomplished so much after her conversion. Her incorrupt body can be seen in a glass reliquary at the Church of Saint Francis in Foligno.
She was proclaimed a saint in 2013 by Pope Francis. Her Feast day is celebrated by the Third Order on January 5th and in the U.S. it is celebrated on January 7th.
About the Church of Saint Francis in Foligno:
Here, in the Church of Saint Francis, you will find the body of this Blessed. The church is open daily.
Traveling to Foligno:
Foligno is easily accessible from Rome by train; in fact, if you plan to travel from Rome to Assisi, in most cases you actually have to change trains in Foligno. The trip takes about one hour by train, and about two hours by car. We highly recommend a visit here, or at least a short stopover on your way to Assisi.
Get train & bus schedules, see fares & buy tickets here.
Address: Piazza S. francesco, 9, 06034 Foligno PG Italy
GPS coordinates: 42° 57′ 14.0724” N, 12° 42′ 12.9996” E
Tel: (+39) 0742/344080 Fax: (+39) 0742/344080
e-mail: folignoofmconv@gmail.com
Click here for the official website of the Church of St. Francis in Foligno.
⇐ Back to Catholic places of interest in Italy
Article sources:
The Franciscan Book of Saints, ed. by Marion Habig, ofm., © 1959 Franciscan Herald Press, Secular Franciscan Order
