Catherine of Siena

Birgitta of Sweden

Birgitta of Sweden lived during the 14th century. Birgitta, a mystic who did not withdraw herself from social and political activities, addressed some of the most significant philosophical, theological, and political issues of her day. Furthermore, she used her personal fortune to benefit the indigent, and she personally founded hospitals and a double monastery.

Julian of Norwich

Julian of Norwich was born in late 1342, and may have died around 1412. Known as "the first English woman of Letters," she is considered by some as, "more metaphysical than other English mystics." Julian’s real name is not known. At some point in her life she became an anchoress -- a vowed solitary who lived a life devoted to prayer and meditation-- confined to a cell adjoining the church of St. Julian in Norwich; from this came her pseudonym. Virtually nothing is known about her aside from what she writes -- and she reveals little about herself, preferring instead to talk only about God. In May 1373, at the age of 30, Julian became deathly ill, and while on her supposed deathbed she received sixteen visions in which God's love was revealed to her.

Following her recovery from her illness, she wrote two books about her experience: a short text presumably written not long after the experience, and a longer text, written twenty years later, which reveals the maturing of her deeply reflective mind. Julian is best known for her optimism ("All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well"), and for her repeated insistence of naming both God and Christ as "mother."

Catherine of Siena

Catherine of Siena was considered the greatest Italian mystic of her time and her heavy involvement in Church and Renaissance politics, even at great personal risk, was based on her philosophical and theological convictions. Catherine was regarded as a notable philosopher in the tradition of Christian mystics and she had a large following among religious laics, royalty, and popes.

Christine de Pisan

In the late 14th and early 15th centuries Christine de Pisan was one of France’s first professional writers and is popularly known as the first person ever to be self- supporting through writing alone. Much of her work was rich in philosophical argument and thought, representative of the social and political arguments of the end of the feudal period. Christine was still alive when Joan of Arc recaptured Orleans. Her poem, 'Song in Honor of Joan of Arc', was her last poem and the only one to celebrate Joan during Joan’s lifetime. Christine celebrated Joan’s victory because it vindicated two of Christine’s most treasured hopes, the honor of France and the worth of women.

Saint Teresa of Avila

In 16th century Spain, Saint Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelites, an especially austere and ascetic order of nuns, and created a new branch of the old order. In 1567 she was authorized to establish similar religious houses for men. During her life she struggled with inquisitors and censors. In spite of the fact that she was harassed every step of the way, Teresa established 16 foundations for women and 14 for men. Her life spanned the Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation. Her experience of these movements had an enormous impact on her life and work as a mystic, a writer, and a religious reformer. Teresa died of uterine cancer in 1582, and in 1970 she was the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

Louisa Oliva Sabuco de Nantes

Louisa Oliva Sabuco de Nantes was a major 16th century Spanish writer. She based her philosophy of human nature on medieval cosmologies which hold that humans are a microcosm of the universe; on the doctrines of various ancient philosophers; and on the most recent advances of her time in medical science and anatomical studies.

Marie le Jars de Gournay

In France, Marie le Jars de Gournay wrote moral philosophy essays and feminist discourse. She has been identified as one of the earliest modern feminist philosophers.

Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon

In the 17th century, French mystic Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte was known as Madame Guyon. Left a wealthy widow at the age of 28, she began spreading her philosophy of mysticism in southeastern France. Madame Guyon introduced into France the doctrine of Quietism, a form of mysticism that stresses withdrawal from worldly concerns, suppression of will, and passive meditation on the divine. Her ideas angered the archbishop of Paris and she was imprisoned in 1688, to be released the next year through the influence of the king’s wife. She was imprisoned for her writings again in 1695 and remained there until 1703, when she was released under the condition that she leave Paris. Despite her suffering, Madame Guyon died professing absolute belief in the Roman Catholic Church.

Antoinette Bourignion

The 17th century Flemish Christian mystic Antoinette Bourignion left home at the age of 20 to avoid a marriage arranged by her father. Antoinette became a radical advocate of Quietism, but she was an active critic of all forms of religious organizations, and she traveled through England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, carrying her printing press and teaching her quietist philosophies.