Blessed Margaret of Castello
The Life of Blessed Margaret of Castello.
(1287-1320)
Typed up by SUE BURTON
Blessed Margaret was born a hunchback, midget, blind, lame and ugly.
When she was 6, her proud noble parents walled her up beside a chapel.
She could not get out, but could attend Mass and receive the Sacraments.
After 14 years of imprisonment, her parents took her to a shrine to
pray for a cure. When no cure was forthcoming, they abandoned her. She
became a lay Dominican and spent the rest of her life in prayer and works
of mercy. When she died at the age of 33, the towns people thronged to
her funeral and demanded that the saint be buried in a tomb inside the
church. The priest protested, but when a crippled girl was miraculously
cured at the funeral, the people had their way. This is the story of
Blessed Margaret, as taken from the earliest biography about her written
in 1325 and then another written in 1335. An account told by those who
knew her. Blessed Margaret's story is one of the most moving I have
ever read. Her body is still incorrupt.
THE CASTLE OF METOLA.
In the Apennine Mountains, in a lonely, obscure part of Italy just
south-east of the republic of Florence, there was in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries a Papal State named Massa Trabaria. It comprised of
only about 300 square miles, yet - despite its smallness - it was covered
by its powerful neighbors, Florence, Urbino, Arezzo and Perugia, both
because of its valuable forests.
Anyone travelling today through this country and observing how sparse
and small the trees are, finds it difficult to believe that centuries
ago these mountains were famous for their mighty forests. It was here
that in ancient times the Romans obtained much of their timber, floating
the huge logs down the nearby Tiber from Bocca Trabaria to Rome. Even in
the Middle Ages the great woods of Massa Trabaria continued to furnish
the lumber needed for the building of the Eternal City.
At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Pope Innocent 111
reorganised the Papal States from Rome to Ravenna. As Massa Trabaria lay
in the centre of the States, its military security became a matter of vital
importance. For this reason the Pope raised the province to the dignity
of a commonwealth, and ordered it to be strongly fortified. The little
republic so organised managed to preserve its autonomy until 1443, when
it was absorbed by the Duchy of Urbino.
The success of Massa Trabaria in resisting for more than two centuries
the invasions of powerful neighbours was largely due to its fortifications,
the war like spirit of the mountaineers, and the wild rough nature
of the terrain. The entire country was not only ruggedly mountainous
but also heavily wooded. The few rivers that took their rise there were
too small to be navigable, and the roads were infrequent and primitive.
As a result, the rural districts were sparsely settled.
Anyone leaving Sant'Angelo in Vado by the south-west road was confronted
by an arresting sight almost as soon as he was beyond the city gates.
For there two long valleys converged toward him. The valley on his right
was quite level and stretched to the west, to the town of Mercatello;
the other, which opened directly in front of him, steadily climbed higher
and higher in a straight line until its course was abruptly checked by a
high mountain squarely blocking its path. Perched on the lofty crest of
this mountain like a watchful eagle, and standing out boldly against the
blue Italian sky, was a strong fortress, the castle of Metola.
Even in those days the castle was not without a certain amount of mystery,
for no one knew the date it was erected or who built it. But this much is
certain; it was built before the beginning of the 13th century - as we find
it mentioned in a Vatican document written in the 12th century. Probably
local tradition is correct in stating that the castle was built as a defence
against the Saracens, who's repeated invasions plagued central Italy during
the 11th and 12th centuries. The unknown builder, in choosing this spot, had
displayed sound judgement.
Not only did the castle dominate the surrounding country, but even with the
mountains covered by great forests, it also had a good view of the important
highway between the two principle towns of Massa Trabaria. Had the traveller
scaled the steep mountain and drawn closer to the fort, he would have seen
that the mountain top had been so skilfully utilised for the defence that the
castle was well nigh impregnable; three sides were protected by precipitous
slopes, which the fourth side - the only one at all accessible - was guarded
by a wide, deep moat.
The frequent attempts by neighbouring republics to capture the castle of Metola
attests to its strategic importance. One of these efforts, made by the republic
of Gubbio at the middle of the 13th century, was successful through treachery,
and possession of the fort remained in their hands for nearly a quarter of a
century. The State Council of Massa Trabaria, on the death of their aged Captain
of the People, selected his son, a young officer named Parisio, as his successor.
The new commander proved himself to be a fearless and capable soldier. One of his
first acts was too lead his army up the heights of Metola and lay siege to the
fortress.
Although at that period the means of military defence were far superior to those
of attack, such was Parisio's military genius that he successfully stormed the
fortress. The regaining of this stronghold, which was in the heart of the southern
half of Massa Trabaria, made Parisio a national hero. The enthusiastic natives,
in gratitude, bestowed upon their victorious leader the fortress and the extensive
estate of which it was part . It was to this mountain stronghold, that Parisio
brought his young bride, Emilia. This noble couple possess for us a special
interest, because they occupy a prominent place in our story. Unfortunately, the
medieval biographer fails to describe for us the appearance of either the noble
lord or his lady.
There was something else he failed to record (but this failure was not due to
negligence, only to a sense of discretion)- the family names of the husband and
wife. Parisio was the man's first name, just as Emilia was the Christian name of
his wife. Without the slightest shadow of a doubt, the surnames of both persons
were known to the medieval biographer. But in those days of violence, when noble
men so often placed themselves above the law, it would have been exceedingly rash
to have stamped with infamy a powerful house intensely proud of its family honor.
Since those days, scholars have repeatedly searched the most likely archives in
an effort to discover Parisio's surname, but without success.
The biographer does not tell us, however, of the social and political prominence
of Parisio. He was much more than just another nobleman. The fact that not only he,
but a number of his ancestors, held the post of captain proves the political
importance of the family. The government of Massa Trabaria, like that of many
republics of the Middle Ages, sought a balance of power by dividing the functions
of government between a podesta, a Captain of the People, and a State Council.
The podesta, with the help of the Council, ruled within the capital city; but it
was the Captain of the People who exercised authority over the rest of the land,
and who, in the time of war, became commander in chief of the armies.
Besides being politically important, Parisio was also a wealthy man. In addition
to his family inheritance, and his salary as one of the highest officials of the
land, he became after his victory at Metola, the castellan of a powerful fortress,
where he enjoyed the revenues of a large and valuable seigniory. The forest alone
on his estate were of enormous value: but over and above that, his income was
augmented by the forced labour extracted from the hapless serfs by their seignior
and by the taxes and fees they had to pay him. The many proofs of Parisio's wealth
are confirmed by the testimony of a contemporary Franciscan. Herbert of Casale,
who knew Margaret well and who testified, Hubert of Casale, who knew Margaret well
and who testified that she came from a noble and wealthy family.
Parisio was apparently endowed with few virtues. He was monstrously proud,
unscrupulous, and indifferent to the sufferings of others. He was merciless towards
anyone who stood in his way. Wholly selfish and engrossed in himself, he was not
capable of genuine affection towards anyone, except insofar as that individual might
be of some value to him. He did not believe that God - if there were a God - took any
interest whatever in human beings and their actions. Of his wife, Lady Emilia, less is
known. She seems to have been a woman of weak character , completely and abjectly
under the domination of her husband.
After examining her life, the biographer can find only two praiseworthy things to say
about her: she had her child baptised and she occasionally visited it!Such were the
characters of the castellan Parisio and his wife Emilia. Undoubtedly, had this couple
died childless, their very existence would have long since been forgotten by mankind,
as it has forgotten the existence of thousands of other lords and ladies. But in the
beginning of the year 1287 it had become common knowledge in and about the castle of
Metola that before the end of the year Lady Emilia would give birth to a child. At the
prospect of having a son to perpetuate his name Parisio was overjoyed. So important an
event had to be celebrated in a becoming manner.
"Cara mai" he said to his wife, "I have been thinking about the banquet in honour of our
first born.. You know some of our friends, especially the elderly ones, would have quite
a hard time climbing this mountain, and besides we do not have enough guest rooms for
everybody: So why don't we have two banquets: one here, for the garrison and the serfs;
then a few weeks later, at our house in Mercatello, we could have an elaborate banquet
for all our friends.""Oh that is a wonderful idea!" Exclaimed his wife.
"And the banquet in town would serve for both the baby's birth and his baptism.""His baptism!"
Parisio had not given that a thought! Yet, his enemies had informed Rome that he, a Captain
of the People in a Papal State had failed to have his child baptised, it could easily mean
the ruin of his plans. It was clever of his wife to remember that!
Emilia went on: "We may just as well now draw up the list of guests and give it to the
seneschal, so that he can get the invitations ready. You had better instruct him to begin his
preparations right away."When the seneschal studied the list, his eyes widened. Not only were
all the important people of Massa Trabaria to be invited but even a number of dignitaries from
neighbouring states. He began to realise that it would not be easy to carry out Parisio's order:
"I want you to prepare the best feast ever given in Massa Trabaria. Do not dishonour my name
by stinting in anything." The feast at the castle would give the seneschal no trouble. Only the
soldiers, the civilians in the fort, and the serfs on the estate would partake of it. For them,
it would be enough to provide plenty of wine and an abundance of venison, pigs, ducks, rabbits
and pastries. But the affair at Mercatello would require the very best!
Although Parisio's wine cellar in town was well stocked, the seneschal thought it prudent to
send a purveyor to Florence to purchase a tun ( a medieval measure) of the very best wine
procurable, to engage first class minstrels and entertainers (without whom no feast could be
a success), and to buy several peacocks, to be served after the various meats. The peacocks
would be a fitting climax! As he reviewed his menu, the seneschal smiled contentedly; the feast
would indeed be worthy of the first born son of Parisio! His castellan need have no worry!
As a matter of fact, the castellan was not worrying. His mind was dwelling on the more distant
future - the career his son would have in Italian politics. Ezzelino da Romano had shown what
a soldier who feared neither God nor man could accomplish!
A kingdom was to be had at the expense of the weaker Papal States, and Parisio determined he
would lay the foundations of such a kingdom for his son.Everything he saw spoke to him of his
dreams. One day he happened to pass the armorer's forge. He watched the skill of the armorer who
was repairing a shield."It won't be many years now, Paolo, before you'll be making a suit of
Armour for my son, eh?" he remarked. "Your Excellency, I'll make him the finest suit of Armour
in all Italy!" boasted the armourer. Indeed everybody at Metola, including the half - starved
serfs, who lived scattered throughout the forests, shared wholeheartedly the anticipation of
their liege lord, from very different motives. The birth of an heir meant not only an abundance
of good food for several days, but also largesse from the Captain, and even music and entertainment!
It was therefore with much hope that, day after day, the serfs paused in their task of felling
trees in the heart of the forest and listened for the great bell of the castle to peal forth
its joyous message to the countryside.
But the day on which the child was born, the castle bell remained silent; no flag fluttered
proudly from the high tower; no herald on gaily - caparisoned horse thundered across the
drawbridge to proclaim the news. There was no banquet, no entertainment, no largesse.
That night, instead of a castle ablaze with lights and resounding with noisy festivities,
all was darkness and silence. Silence and darkness were more suited to the despair and
horror that crushed the hearts of Parisio and the Lady Emilia.And the child was a girl.
And the girl was dreadfully deformed.
She died on April 13, 1320 at the age of 33.
More than 200 miracles have been credited to her intercession after her death.
She was beatified in 1609.
Thus the daughter that nobody wanted is one of the glories of the Church.
NOVENA PRAYER TO BLESSED MARGARET
O God, by whose will the blessed
virgin Margaret was blind from birth,
that the eyes of her mind being
inwardly enlightened she might think
without ceasing on You alone, be
the light of our eyes, that we may
be able to flee the shadows of this
world, and reach the home of never-
ending light. We ask this through
Christ, our Lord.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to
the Father.
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