Anne Catherine Gonzaga, O.S.M. (November 16, 1566 – August 3, 1621) was an Archduchess of Austria who went on to become a Servant of Mary upon the death of her husband, the Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria.
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Anne Juliana was born Anne Catherine in Mantua, Italy on November 16, 1566 to Duke William Gonzaga and his wife, Eleonora of Austria. She had two siblings, and was baptized in the Catholic Church in her infancy. Her godfather was Philip II of Spain. Anne Catherine was raised in a pious Catholic household, and Eleanor was particularly fond of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Legend has it that as an infant, Anne Catherine would be given a rosary by her parents to quiet her down.
At about age 5, Anne Catherine became severely ill and nearly died. She contracted a high fever and her extremities began to swell. For two years she was ill. Finally her parents appealed to the Virgin Mary with deep prayer, promising to raise Anne as a child of Mary if she lived on. Soon Anne became healthy again. Anne's parents told her of the Virgin Mary's intervention on her behalf and the promise they had made. From there out Eleanor educated and guided Anne Catherine in the cultivation of devotion to Mary. Throughout childhood Anne Catherine displayed a consistent sense of piety.
At age 9, Anne Catherine was reported to have received a divine vision from the Blessed Virgin Mary. One evening her room became immersed in a wondrous light and Mary came speaking to her. While she recognized the woman before her as Mary, she was unable to yet understand what was said. It would only be years later that she understood the message. This vision doubled her long-standing desire to become a nun.
In 1580, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria lost his wife Philippine. Philippine was from the Welser family, who were not royalty. Even though the couple had parented two sons together, neither of them was eligible to succeed Ferdinand as archduke. This prodded Ferdinand to seek remarriage.
Ferdinand's sister, Madeleine, suggested he consider marrying her niece Anne Catherine. On January 1, 1582, Ferdinand asked Duke William for Anne Catherine's hand in marriage, to which William consented. Though she realized this would postpone her calling to a religious order, Anne respected her parent's wishes and voiced no objection to the marriage.
Before departing from Mantua for Innsbruck, in Austria, Anne Catherine asked that her father fulfill some requests. First was a request to release 15 prisoners in celebration of her departure. Second was a request to donate moneys to 15 beggars. Third was a request to provide interior furnishings at 15 churches. William agreed to each request.
On May 14, 1582, at age 16, Anne Catherine was married to Ferdinand in Innsbruck and became Archduchess of Austria. In their first three years of marriage the couple gave birth to 3 daughters — Eleanor (b. 1583), Marie (b. 1584), and Anne (b. 1585 - 1618). Eleanor died in her infancy. Their daughter Anna would go on to marry Matthias, King of Hungary and Bohemia, later Holy Roman Emperor.
While Ferdinand loved his daughters, he internally harbored the wish for a son to succeed him. He soon realized this should never come to pass and gave way to fits of anger over the dilemma. Eventually Ferdinand would come to accept the situation and return to reason. As a way of rectifying his years of resentment and temper, he gave his wife the Chateau of Wohlgemutheium and the Fortress of Thaur. In turn Anne was a dutiful wife who cared for Ferdinand throughout several illnesses. Ferdinand died in 1595.
Aside from her considerable grief, Anne was now responsible for the Innsbruck palace, filled with a great deal of servants and two young daughters. But Anne took this time to redouble her devotion to God and Mary. With Ferdinand, Anne would often wear a royal crown and fine jewelry in order to satisfy him. However, following his death, she retired her crown for a black veil and wore a rosary around her neck. Despite her enormous wealth, Anne’s goal was to completely do away with worldly pleasures.
In her palace Anne lived in small quarters adjacent to a large chapel she had built since Ferdinand’s death, the door connecting the two via a secret hallway. Her room was quite simple, the bed made of very hard wood with one thin sheet to cover with. She abdicated primary care of her two daughters to the Baroness of Brandes.
The atmosphere at the palace took on the feel of a religious cloister, where the hub of everyone’s universe revolved around religious piety and devotion. Anne was, in her own way, carrying out a semi-monastic lifestyle now. She would fast every Friday, permitting her health could withstand it.
It occurred to Anne that she should allot her considerable wealth to others, and so she gave considerable sums to The Catholic Church and poor, keeping some for her own family. She began to feed the poor at her palace and would serve them personally. Anne also made many visits to the sick and dying, always with her daughters, to administer medicines and to care for them. She was known to give alms everywhere she went, turning nobody in need away. She donated especially large sums to convents in the Innsbruck and Mantua areas, often heralded as an informal mother to the homes for her generosity.
Through the years Anne reportedly had a number of visions from the Virgin Mary. In 1606, on the Feast of the Annunciation and in her chapel in prayer, Anne purportedly received another such visit from Mary instructing her to build a convent in Innsbruck. Under full blessing from Pope Paul V, Anne was given the go-ahead to proceed with building. Through prayer Anne received further instruction to build her convent on the grounds of her garden; the first stone placed on the Feast of the Visitation in 1606.
On July 2, 1607 Anne had the Bishop of Brixen (Christoph IV von Spaur), Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria and the Margrave of Burgau be present for the laying down of the first cornerstone. Incidentally, the Margrave of Burgau was the eldest son Ferdinand had fathered in his previous marriage. Despite this ceremonial start, many persons of power in the area were opposed to the construction. Many personal advisors felt it would deplete the palaces’ resources. The stresses related to this unforeseen opposition culminated in a dire illness for Anne. Her body became covered in terrible sores and she became bedridden, her doctors fearing for the worst.
Following a personal mass held for her in her room Anne Catherine allegedly had another vision in which the Virgin Mary appeared, assuring her protection. Anne got out of bed immediately and was completely cured of her ailment, vowing to complete the project no matter the odds. One day, during construction, a landslide occurred as laborers were working onsite, burying one worker. After considerable time had passed, the others located his body and were astonished to find he was not even hurt. This incident quieted much of the opposition to the building of the convent, seen by many as a Divine Intervention. The story goes that the project would surely bankrupt Anne, but miraculously the money was always there no matter the expense.
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