A Female Leader of Franciscanism in Rome?
A devoted early follower of St. Francis of Assisi, Jacoba of Settesoli (Italian Giacoma di Settesoli) was affectionately known to the Franciscan friars as Brother Jacopa (Fra Jacopa). She was an integral figure in the creation of a Roman Franciscan community shortly after Francis' death. Probably born in Trastevere around 1190, she married into the powerful Frangipani family. The Frangipani were heavily involved, both financially and militarily, in the papal disputes of the 11th and 12th centuries, giving them a tremendous amount of religious and political power and control of large landholdings before and during Fra Jacopa’s lifetime. Brother Jacopa met Francis in 1209 during one of his visits to Rome. Probably after hearing him preach, she helped Francis both receive lodging near the Ripa Grande at the hospice of St. Biago, where the current church of San Francesco a Ripa stands, and gain a meeting with Pope Innocent III. She also invited his followers to use her home as a meeting place. Somewhere between 1212 and 1217, Fra Jacopa was widowed, leaving her with large property holdings from her husband’s family. Her new status as a widow, some historians argue, allowed her to maintain a closer relationship with Francis without scandal. Additionally, scholar Jacques Darlun argues that her nickname “Brother Jacopa” shows an effort masculinize her, allowing for the relationship to be further normalized. Perhaps the most famous legend involving Brother Jacopa occurred just moments before Francis’ death in 1226. According to this story, Francis told his close follower Leo to let Jacopa know of Francis's coming death. Just as Leo began to write to her, she burst through the door, arriving from Rome because the voice of God told her to come to her friend. She then bathed the stigmata on his body with her tears as he died. Darleen Pryds notes that this account of Francis’ death was disputed by many Franciscan historians because of the dangerous implications of a placing a laywomen at one of the most important scenes in the saint’s life. During the 13th century when non-cloistered lifestyles for monks, friars, and nuns rapidly gained popularity, the Church was very concerned with the intermingling of men and women, and a story about a close male-female relationship could be used as justification for interaction between the two sexes. Brother Jacopa has been compared to Mary Magdalene, who also wept besides Jesus’ deathbed, allowing for dangerous debates similar to those about the sexuality of Mary and Jesus’ relationship. While there is disagreement of the validity and details of this story, the importance of its presence in Francis’ early hagiography suggests that this Roman noblewoman played a very important part in the early days of Franciscanism. Moved by Francis’ death, Jacopa returned home, gave up the majority of her property and helped found the hospital and convent for friars at San Francesco a Ripa. Fra Jacopa lived out the remainder of her life in Assisi, choosing to be impoverished until her death. Today, her body lies in the crypt at San Francesco in Assisi, a church she was also believed to have helped fund. In San Francesco a Ripa, her portrait faces that of Francis.
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