laodicea: St Beatrice?

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

St Beatrice?

Apparently Florentines and tourists have suddenly started leaving petitions at Beatrice's tomb, and in increasingly large numbers. Is it too late to introduce her cause? Does the Divine Comedy/Vita Nova count as evidence of an early cult? Has it been continuous? Surely any Catholic reader must be tempted to offer up a prayer to Miss Portinari when they are reading the Divine Comedy just in case Dante is right that she is so listened to in heavenly places?

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