Book Review – Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Discover a Female Experience of Sixteenth Century Renaissance Italy
Oct 26, 2009 Victoria Robinson
Due to the increasing expense of marriage dowries in the second half of the sixteenth century, almost half of all Italian noblewomen were sent to convents. Sacred Hearts tells the story of passionate, rebellious sixteen year old Serafina, a sophisticated Milanese who, like so many, becomes a Bride of Christ against her will. The novel is set in the fictional Benedictine Convent of Santa Caterina, just outside the city of Ferrara, Northern Italy. Like Dunant's previous novels, it is a gripping story.
Wrought from her musician lover Jacopo. Serafina refuses to sing, using her beautiful voice to howl in rage at the injustice of her incarceration, stating plainly that 'songbirds don't sing when they are kept in the dark.' Her anger sends tremors through convent life, and Serafina's struggle becomes a reflection of the wider political battles in religion at the time.
Although the women's lives are dominated by the decisions of powerful men, the novel centres around them and their experiences both sacred and profane. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the convent itself, which separates women from their traditional roles with home and family. For some this is a blessing; others a curse.
Characters Who Benefit From Convent Life
The most powerful woman in Santa Caterina is the Abbess Madonna Chiara, a formidable matriarch whose political role demands a brutal pragmatism. She is aware of her power and knows she could not have developed this side of her personality in the outside world, where there are 'rutting, drunken husbands poking at tired or pious wives.'
Suora Zuana is the Dispensary Mistress, and would probably be a doctor in today's world. Her compassion and support are a great help to Serafina, with whom she connects deeply. Zuana's knowledge comes from her late father, a broadminded man who involved her in his medical work. She is not a particularly spiritual person, though her practise of healing seems to be a form of meditation.
Like Madonna Chiara, she would not be able to live in this way outside the convent, and would certainly not be as highly respected. She plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the women, both physical and spiritual, and has the important job of tending to the dying. It is Zuana who supports them as they journey into the afterlife.
Characters Who Struggle With Convent Life
Perhaps the saddest image in the novel is that of Suora Ysbeta swaddling her dog like a baby. There is no denying that a childless life is unbearable for some of the nuns, and Suora Ysbeta has certainly been separated from her natural calling. She is a sad reflection of Serafina's potential future if she remains in Santa Caterina.
Many nuns struggle with what would be described as anorexia today. Suora Magdalena 'lived on the host for years,' eating so little that she has the body of a child. It is uncertain whether her visions are genuinely spiritual or hallucinations from the lack of food. Whatever the truth of her intense experiences with Christ, she is certainly a powerful spiritual force. Ironically, she must be hidden away - though the powerful men of Christianity want women to be pious, they are threatened by direct female experience with spirit.
Religious Extremism in Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Dunant is wonderfully perceptive in her portrayal of religious extremism, and it is here that the greatest struggle with convent life emerges. Suora Perseveranza is 'in thrall to the music of suffering' and wears a belt with nails on the inside, believing that piercing her flesh will bring her closer to Christ's experiences of suffering on the cross. Convent life has literally driven her mad.
Suora Umiliana is the Novice Mistress (second in command to Madonna Chiara) who takes her devotion to unreasonable levels - according to Zuana, it is 'growing more fervent with the years.' Her increasing politcal power in the convent is unsettling. She sees pleasure as unspiritual, believing that all time should be spent in prayer - she is even critical of Zuana's healing practice of healing.
Umiliana's beliefs reflect those of the Council of Trent, whose insidious presence grows throughout the novel, even though we do not meet any characters from the organisation. They want to imprison the nuns in their faith, believing even singing to be sinful.
Yet ironically, Suora Umiliana's fanaticism come from a lack of faith, not too much of it. Living in a convent without a genuine spiritual connection must be a constant torment for her. Perhaps Dunant is also commenting on the emptiness that must be at the heart of the Council's frightening repression. This is a very astute observation that resonates in the modern world: when people are confident in their faith, they do not go to extremes.
Souce:
Sarah Dunant, Sacred Hearts (UK - Virago Press, 2009) (US - Random House, 2009)
St Catherine of Siena-Dolci- Dulwich Pic Gallery
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