Three convent inhabitants are dead. Eleven more are convulsing, screaming and speaking in foreign tongues. Exorcists conclude that there is only one explanation; A witch must be living among the nuns.
Inspired by the real testimonies of nuns and exorcists, preserved in the archives of the Inquisition of Modena, The Cloister Witch of Carpi brings to life one of the most extraordinary forgotten episodes in Italian women’s history.
Among them are two women who have spent a lifetime bound together by friendship, rivalry, and dangerous secrets: Eleonora d'Este, the formidable princess-abbess, and Ginevra Martinelli, a commoner who carries the ancient wisdom passed on to her through the women of her bloodline.
Ginevra believes love is worth any sacrifice. Eleonora believes it is the root of every woman's downfall. As terror enters the convent, their opposing convictions place them on a collision course.
When three of the convent's inhabitants die and eleven more begin to writhe, convulse, and speak in languages not their own, exorcists are summoned. Their judgment is swift: the Devil’s work has entered the convent and there is only one way that could have happened – there must be a witch within the cloister.
As fear tightens its grip, old betrayals resurface. Forbidden desires refuse to stay buried. And the hunt for the witch draws in the Inquisition and the Vatican itself.
A haunting novel of love and power, and the resilience of women trapped within the patriarchal world of seventeenth-century Italy.
Genre: Historical
Inspired by the real testimonies of nuns and exorcists, preserved in the archives of the Inquisition of Modena, The Cloister Witch of Carpi brings to life one of the most extraordinary forgotten episodes in Italian women’s history.
Carpi, Italy. 1630s
In the Convent of Santa Chiara, sixty women live cloistered from the world. Most are the '''spare daughters’ of Italy's greatest noble families. Some entered the convent willingly; others had no choice.Among them are two women who have spent a lifetime bound together by friendship, rivalry, and dangerous secrets: Eleonora d'Este, the formidable princess-abbess, and Ginevra Martinelli, a commoner who carries the ancient wisdom passed on to her through the women of her bloodline.
Ginevra believes love is worth any sacrifice. Eleonora believes it is the root of every woman's downfall. As terror enters the convent, their opposing convictions place them on a collision course.
When three of the convent's inhabitants die and eleven more begin to writhe, convulse, and speak in languages not their own, exorcists are summoned. Their judgment is swift: the Devil’s work has entered the convent and there is only one way that could have happened – there must be a witch within the cloister.
As fear tightens its grip, old betrayals resurface. Forbidden desires refuse to stay buried. And the hunt for the witch draws in the Inquisition and the Vatican itself.
A haunting novel of love and power, and the resilience of women trapped within the patriarchal world of seventeenth-century Italy.
Genre: Historical