By Lewis Williams © 2002.
When she died in Brescia on January 27, 1540, there were some 24 branches of the Company of St. Ursula serving the Church. She was not canonized until 1807, largely because her ideas were considered too progressive. In fact, in 1566, more than 25 years after her death, the cloister and choral Office were imposed on the Ursulines, and they were required to wear a religious habit.
In this iconic image, the ladder represents a vision she had of heaven opening and angels traveling between heaven and earth. She believed one of the angels was her deceased sister, who instructed her to found a company of women to help educate poor girls. St. Angela holds an arrow which is the symbol for St. Ursula's martyrdom. The grapes are symbolic of the eucharistic blood of Christ and also of her family's vineyard. Even more it symbolizes the cluster of women she drew together in such a unique and progressive way. Lake Garda is the setting.