Pudentiana Deacon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame
Pudentiana Deacon
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Title page of Pudentiana Deacon's Delicious Entertainments of the Soule, 1632 (LUNA: Folger)
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| Born | Elizabeth Deacon c. 1580 Middlesex |
| Died | 21 Dec. 1645 |
| Occupation | Benedictine nun; translator |
| Language | English |
| Notable work | Delicious Entertainments of the Soule (1632) |
| Relatives | John Deacon (father; died 1618) |
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Pudentiana Deacon (born Elizabeth; around 1580 – December 21, 1645) was an English Benedictine nun. She is best known for translating a book by Francis de Sales called Les vrais entretiens spirituels. Her translation was published as Delicious Entertainments of the Soule in 1632.
Contents
Her Life as a Nun
We don't know many details about Pudentiana Deacon's early life. Her family was likely Catholic and from a well-off background.
In England, King Henry VIII had closed down monasteries and convents in the 1530s. This meant that English Catholics who wanted to become nuns or priests had to travel to other countries in Europe. Pudentiana Deacon went to Flanders, which is now part of Belgium.
Her father, John Deacon, became a priest after his wife died. He might have been inspired by his daughter's choice to join a religious order.
Joining the Abbey
Pudentiana Deacon joined the Abbey of the Glorious Assumption of Our Lady in Brussels on July 11, 1606. She officially became a nun on April 29, 1608. She chose the religious name Pudentiana. Records from that time suggest she was 32 when she joined, but other records show she was likely 27 or 28.
Moving to Cambrai
In 1623, Pudentiana and two other nuns were sent to help start a new English Benedictine convent in Cambrai, France. This new convent was called Our Blessed Lady of Consolation. One of the young women joining the new convent was Gertrude More, who was a descendant of the famous Thomas More.
The move to Cambrai might have been partly because of different ideas about how to practice their faith within the Brussels convent. Pudentiana Deacon stayed in Cambrai for the rest of her life. She held important roles there, like looking after the convent's supplies (cellarer), teaching new nuns (mistress of the novices), and even leading the convent for a time (prioress).
Her Important Translation Work
The convent in Cambrai became well-known for its translation work and its large collection of books. Pudentiana Deacon translated a book from French by Francis de Sales. The original French title was Les vrais entretiens spirituels, which means "the true spiritual conversations."
About the Book
Francis de Sales did not write this book himself. It was a collection of notes taken by people who listened to his talks. He had these "familiar conversations" with the Sisters of the Visitation. This was a special enclosed Catholic religious order that Francis de Sales and Jane Frances de Chantal had started in 1610.
This order was different because it was open to older women or those who were not in perfect health. It focused on important qualities like "humility and gentleness."
Pudentiana Deacon's translation was published in 1632. It was given the English title Delicious Entertainments of the Soule. On the title page, the translator was only identified as "a Dame of our Ladies of comfort of the order of S. Bennet in Cambray." For a while, people thought another nun, Agnes More, might have translated it. But later discoveries in old records clearly showed that Pudentiana Deacon was the translator.
Some people think she chose to translate this book because it gave spiritual advice directly to nuns. Others believe she might have chosen it to show that her convent had different spiritual ideas from some of the more unusual teachings of Augustine Baker, who was a leader at the convent.
Pudentiana Deacon might have translated another book called The Mantle of the Spouse, but this work has not survived.
Only one edition of Delicious Entertainments was printed, and only seventeen copies still exist today. For many years, Pudentiana Deacon's translation was not well known. However, a new copy was printed in 2002. Today, her writing is being studied more as part of a wider look at religious books written by women a long time ago.
Her Published Work
- Translator. Delicious Entertainments of the Soule: Written By the Holy and Most Reverend Lord Francis De Sales, Bishop and Prince of Geneva. Translated by a Dame of our Ladies of comfort of the order of S. Bennet in Cambray. Imprinted at Douay By Gheerart Pinson, under the signne of Cuelen, 1632.
See also
- Benedictines
- English Benedictine Congregation
- Francis de Sales
- Gertrude More
- Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
- Pudentiana
