The Hieronyma ‘Talking Poltergeist’ Case of Late 17th Century Pavia, Italy

Pavia photo from www.liutprand.it

Some time during the first half of the 1990s, before it became simple to find and purchase esoteric books via the Internet, I visited a local New Age bookstore and discovered an edition of Demoniality “Translated from the Latin with an Introduction and Notes by The Rev. Montague Summers.”  One series of anecdotes described in eight pages of the book by author Lodovico Maria Sinistrari would catch my attention in particular, as at the time the incidents seemingly fulfilled my criteria for a categorical so-called ‘talking poltergeist’ case.  

The setting of the remarkable account was northwest Italy during the late seventeenth century.  A Franciscan theologian, Sinistrari shared his perspective of anecdotes of unexplained phenomena experienced by a local Pavia woman.  He wrote about this near the end of his life.  It is known that he died in 1701.  His book De Daemonialitate, et Incubis et Succubis was printed in 1875 after Isidore Liseux discovered the original manuscript in a bookseller's shop in London.

In an introduction for the book written in 1927, Montague Summers offered a biographical profile of Sinistrari, mentioning that he was “summoned to Rome to fill the position of Consultor to the Supreme Tribunal of the Most Holy Inquisition.”  Summers also provided some social and historical observations to give some background information for Sinistrari’s lurid theories about demons.  At one point Sinistrari cited information “according to several authors who have related the judicial admissions of witches when on the rack . . .”

Keeping in mind my remarks at the conclusion of my previous article in this series of blog posts regarding my research of ‘talking poltergeist’ cases, the following passages are the section of Sinistrari’s book that comprise the author’s account of the Hieronyma case.  There are some obvious contradictions in Sinistrari’s presentation and interpretation of the described course of events.  It seems especially noteworthy that the haunting entity and the woman are not said to have ever engaged in sexual intercourse — a fact negating the literal definition of an ‘Incubus’ in association with this case.  Preceding his account of Hieronyma, Sinistrari wrote, without specifying his precise participation in the events: “Of this I was an eye-witness, and I shall relate a story which verily passes human belief: but I take God to witness that I tell the actual truth, corroborated by the testimony of many reputable persons.”

28.  About twenty-five years ago, when I was lecturer on Sacred Theology in the convent of the Holy Cross, in Pavia, there was living in that city a married woman of unimpeachable morality, and who was most highly spoken of by all such as knew her, especially by the Friars.  Her name was Hieronyma, and she lived in the parish of S. Michael.  One day, this woman had kneaded bread at home and given it out to bake.  The cook-shop man brought her back her loaves when baked, and with them a large cake of a peculiar shape, made of butter and Venetian paste, as is usual for manchets to be made in that city.  She declined to take it in, saying she had not kneaded any thing of the kind.  “But,” said the cook, “I had no other bread save yours to bake to-day, therefore this cake also must have come from your house; you have, perhaps, forgotten.”  The good wife allowed herself to be persuaded, and partook of the cake with her husband, her little girl who was three years old, and the maid servant.  The next night, whilst in bed with her husband, and both were fast asleep, she suddenly woke up at the sound of a very small voice, something like a shrill hissing, whispering in her ears, yet with great distinctness, and inquiring whether “the cake had been to her taste?”  The good woman, thoroughly frightened, began to guard herself with the sign of the cross and repeatedly called upon the Names of Jesus and Mary.  “Be not afraid,” said the voice, “I mean you no harm; quite the reverse: I am prepared to do anything to please you; I am captivated by your beauty, and desire nothing more than to enjoy your sweet embraces.”  Whereupon she felt somebody kissing her cheeks, so lightly, so softly, that she might have fancied being stroked by the finest feather-down.  She resisted without giving any answer, confidently repeating over and over again the Names of Jesus and Mary, and crossing herself most devoutly.  The tempter kept on thus for nearly half an hour, when he withdrew.

The next morning the dame sought her confessor, a discreet and learned man, who confirmed and encouraged her in her faith, exhorting her to maintain her stout resistance and to provide herself with some holy Relics.  On the ensuing nights she was sore tempted with the same amorous words and loving kisses, and she showed the same constancy in repulsing them.  Utterly weary, however, of such painful and persistent molestations, upon the advice of her confessor and other reverend men, she had herself exorcised by experienced Exorcists, in order to ascertain whether perchance she was not actually possessed.  Having found in her no trace of the evil Spirit, they blessed the house, the bedroom, the bed, and strictly commanded the Incubus to cease his annoyance.  But all was in vain; he kept on worse than before, pretending to be love-sick, weeping and moaning in order to melt the heart of the lady, who however, by the grace of God, remained unconquered.  The Incubus then went another way to work: he showed himself in the shape of a lad or little man of great beauty, with crisped golden locks, a flaxen beard that shone like fine gold, sea-green eyes calling to mind the flax-flower, and arrayed in a comely Spanish dress.  Besides he appeared to her even when she was in company, billing and cooing gently after the fashion of lovers, kissing his hand to her, and continually endeavouring by such means to obtain her embraces.  She alone saw and heard him: to everybody else he was invisible.

This good lady kept persevering in her disdain with admirable constancy until, at last, after some months of courting, the Incubus, angered at her insensibility, had recourse to a new kind of persecution.  First, he took away from her a silver cross filled with sacred Relics, and a holy wax or papal Agnus Dei of the blessed Pontiff Pius V., which she always carried on her person; then, although it could not be found that the locks had been tampered with or opened, he purloined her rings and other gold and silver ornaments and jewelry from the casket wherein they were stored.  Next, he began to strike her cruelly, and after each beating, livid bruises and discolorations were to be seen on her face, her arms and other parts of her body, which lasted a day or two, then suddenly disappeared, the reverse of natural bruises which heal slowly and by degrees.  Sometimes, too, while she was nursing her little girl, he would snatch the child away from her breast and lay it upon the roof, on the edge of the gutter, or hide it, but without ever harming it.  Sometimes he would upset all the furniture, or smash to pieces saucepans, plates, and other earthenware utensils which, in a twink, he restored incontinently to their former whole state.  One night whilst she was lying by her husband’s side, the Incubus, appearing in his customary shape, vehemently urged his desires, which she steadfastly resisted as usual.  He thereupon withdrew in a rage, and shortly after came back with a large load of those flag stones which the Genoese, and the inhabitants of Liguria in general, use for roofing their houses.  With those stones he built around the bed a wall so high that reached the tester, and the couple were unable to leave their bed without using a ladder.  This wall, however, was built up unmortared, without lime; and when pulled down, the flags were laid by in a corner where, during two days, they were seen of many who came to look at them; they then disappeared.

On S. Stephen’s day, the husband had asked some military friends to dinner, and, to do fitting honour to his guests, provided a substantial repast.  Whilst they were, as customary, washing their hands before taking their places, suddenly the table, just ready laid, vanished clean away from the dining-room; all the dishes, saucepans, colanders, kettles, plates and crockery in the kitchen vanished likewise, as well as the jacks, jugs, bottles, beakers, and glasses.  The guests, eight in number, stood, surprised and confounded, in strange amaze.  Amongst them, as it chanced, was a Spanish Captain of infantry, who, addressing the company, said boldly: “Do not be alarmed, it is but a trick: the table is certainly still where it was, and I shall soon find it by feeling for it.”  With these words, he paced round the room holding his arms wide outstretched, and endeavouring to lay hold of the table; but when, after much groping and walking to and fro, it was apparent that his efforts were useless, since he continually grasped nought but thin air, he was well laughed at by his friends; and it being already high time and past for having dinner, each guest took up his cloak and was about to return home.  They had already reached the street-door with their host, the husband, who, out of politeness, was attending them, when they heard a great crash in the dining-room.  Astonished beyond measure, they paused awhile wondering what the cause of such a noise might be, and lo! the servant ran up hastily to announce that the kitchen was stocked with new vessels filled with food, and that the table was standing again in its former place.  Having gone back to the dining-room, they were dumbfounded to see the table indeed was laid, with napery, napkins, salt-cellars, silver cruets, castors, trenchers and trays that did not belong to the house, and groaning with rich meats, pasties, pullets and puddings, which certainly had not been cooked there.  On a large sideboard, too, were arrayed in perfect order crystal, silver, and gold cups, with all manner of flagons, decanters and lusty bowls filled with rare foreign wines, from the Isle of Crete, Campania, the Canaries, and the Rhine.  In the kitchen there was also an abundant variety of viands, fish and game, in saucepans and dishes that had never been seen there before.  At first, some of the guests had hesitated whether they should partake of that food; however, encouraged by others, they sat down, and soon ate heartily, for the dishes proved to be of exquisite flavour.  Immediately afterwards, when dinner was done, as they were sitting before a good winter fire, everything vanished away, the dishes, the very orts and crumbs, and in their stead reappeared the table of the house, laid with a cloth, and thereupon the victuals which had been previously cooked; but, for a wonder, all the guests were fully satisfied, so that no one could think of supper after such a magnificent dinner.  A clear proof this that the substituted viands were real and nowise fictitious.

This kind of persecution had been going on for some months, when the lady betook herself to the Blessed Bernardine of Feltre, whose body is venerated in the Church of S. James, a short distance from the walls of the city.  She made a vow to him that she would wear, during a whole twelve-month, a sad-coloured frock, girt about her waist with a cord, such as is worn by the Friars Minor, the Order of which Blessed Bernardine was a member.  This she vowed, in the hope that, through his intercession, she might at last be rid of the persecution of the Incubus.  And accordingly, on the 28 September, the vigil of the Dedication of the Archangel S. Michael, and the festival of the Blessed Bernardine, she donned the votive habit.  The next morning, which was Michaelmas Day, the afflicted woman repaired to the church of S. Michael, her own parish, already mentioned.  It was now about ten o’clock, a time when crowds of people were going to mass.  She had no sooner set foot on the threshold of the church, than her clothes and ornaments fell to the ground, and disappeared in a gust of wind, leaving her mother naked.  There happened, fortunately, to be among the crowd two cavaliers of mature age, who, seeing what had taken place, very decently hastened to divest themselves of their cloaks with which they concealed, as well as they could, the woman’s nudity, and having put her into a close coach, accompanied her home.  The clothes and trinkets carried off by the Incubus were not restored by him before six months had elapsed.

I might not impertinently relate many other most amazing tricks and naughty japeries which that Incubus played on her, were it not wearisome.  Suffice it to say that, for a number of years, he persevered in his temptation of her, but that, finding at last he was losing his pains, he desisted from his vexatious and wanton importunities.

 

Pavia Church of San Michele Maggiore (12th Cent.)