Foundation of the Monastery of Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Palazzo Zuccari in Rome in the Context of the Religiosity of Queen Marie Casimire d’Arquien Sobieska

The foundation of the monastery of Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Palazzo Zuccari in Rome became one of Queen Marie Casimire’s most important votive gestures. The present essay opens with a discussion of the queen’s religiosity, with a particular focus on her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. This sphere has hitherto been a poorly addressed element of the biography of John III’s wife. The queen’s piety – both the genuine one and the one manifested for the purpose of image-making – was at the heart of the foundation of the monasteries of Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Warsaw and Rome. In order to bring nuns from France to Poland, during her stay in the Eternal City the queen interceded with Pope Clement XI, members of the Albani family and some cardinals. The essay presents the activities around the foundation of the monastery, its organisation within the walls of Palazzo Zuccari, and its material security. Reference is also made to the issue of the unexpected decision to dissolve the order in 1708.