150 YEARS OF THE NAZARETH SISTERS

In the footsteps of Blessed Frances Siedliska in Rome (47)

Sr. M. Beata Rudzińska, CSFN

Piazza Farnese (1880) – transfer

In the early days of the Congregation, Sisters did not leave the house in her religious habits. This probably explains why the owner of the house, when discussing the rental of the apartment with Sister Michaela, did not realize who he was talking to. The matter came to light when she arrived with her belongings, perhaps including the furnishings for the chapel. His reaction was unequivocal: “Having learned that we were a religious congregation, he did not want us as tenants, as people acting and thinking contrary to the spirit of the government and the king he served.” Thus, the Sisters were left without a roof over their heads, with their furniture in the courtyard, because the next day renovation work was to begin in the apartment they had just left. Fortunately, Cardinal Domenico Sanguigni understood the Sisters’ desperate situation and allowed them to move back in, giving them time to find a new apartment by February 1, thus putting himself in a difficult position.

It is worth mentioning this noble man here, at least briefly. Born in Terracina in 1809, he was ordained bishop in the Roman church of St. Andrew on the Quirinal Hill in 1874 and appointed apostolic nuncio to Portugal. Created cardinal in September 1879, he returned to Rome and was looking for a place to live. On February 27, 1880, he received the cardinal’s hat and the titular church of St. Pudenziana in Rome. He died suddenly in the morning, just two years later, possibly even in his apartment on Piazza Farnese. He was succeeded in the church of St. Pudenziana by the Polish cardinal Włodzimierz Czacki.

Sisters began the year 1880 by searching for a new home. Having learned from painful experience, they sought a house inhabited by people who would not mind having a religious community and a chapel in their neighborhood, but also located in a “healthy” area so as not to expose their Foundress to another life-threatening illness. They found it in the Pallavicini Palace on the Quirinal Hill, the highest hill in historic Rome. According to the Foundress, the apartment was “too grand and beautiful,” but it was the only one that could be moved into quickly.

On February 3, they moved their belongings, and on February 5, Father Feliński, a Resurrectionist, celebrated the first Holy Mass in the home chapel, leaving the Sisters with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The apartment was not only beautiful but also healthy: sunny, dry, and warm. It also had a special neighborhood: the residence of the King of Italy, the convent of the Sacramentine Sisters with a chapel of Perpetual Adoration, and the Church of St. Andrew on the Quirinal Hill with the relics of St. Stanislaus Kostka.

The Pallavicini Rospigliosi Palace was built in the 16th century by Cardinal Borghese as the family residence of this distinguished Italian family, from which Pope Paul V came. Today, his name is primarily associated with Villa Borghese, a huge park in the center of Rome, and the Borghese Gallery, whose magnificent collection was started by the aforementioned cardinal. In the 18th century, the building became the property of Prince Giovanni Rospigliosi and his wife Camilla Pallavicini, retaining both names in its name. The descendants of these families still own half of the building today. It houses one of the richest private museums in Rome, which is not open to the public.

Reading this, it is not surprising that Frances was reluctant to live here. However, she knew that it was only temporary… She knew how to take advantage of every circumstance to bring about some good and encourage her Sisters to greater zeal in God’s service. But more about that in the next episode…

Photos: CSFN
Pallavicini Palace – entrance gate to the courtyard
Pallavicini Palace