A Tuscan Penitent: The Life and Legend of St. Margaret of Cortona

This Franciscan classic, first published in 1907, and written by a famous Capuchin scholar, tells the story of a young woman in thirteenth-century Italy who shocked everyone by openly living with a rich nobleman outside of marriage and bearing him a son. After her lover was murdered, she was alone and rejected by her family. Filled with remorse and guilt, she finally found peace with the Franciscans as a penitent in the Third Order, and eventually became a saint.

Fr. Cuthbert tells Margaret's story with great sensitivity and literary skill. The book also contains his translation of her Legend, written by her confessor, Fra Giunta Bevignati, detailing her spiritual struggles and revelations from God, as told to him by Margaret herself. Together the two works provide a moving portrait of her growth in holiness.

This new edition is provided with a new introduction by Lori Pieper, OFS, giving background on the author and his work, along with notes and a bibliography.

About the Author:

Father Cuthbert O.S.F.C. was born Lawrence Anthony Hess in Brighton, England in 1866. He joined the Capuchins at the age of fifteen, and after ordination, worked in several parishes in England, becoming known for his zeal for evangelization and care for workers. He also distinguished himself for his scholarship, and became the first Catholic priest to lecture at Oxford University since the Reformation. His famous Life of St. Francis of Assisi (1912), combined great historical knowledge and a deep understanding of the charism of St. Francis. He was also a tireless promoter of the Third Order, which he saw as a means for the Christian renewal of society. In 1930, became the head of the Capuchin Historical Institute in Assisi and edited its journal Collectanea Franciscana. He died in Assisi in 1939.