Hello Readers!
I'm so sorry this post is late, life has been crazy, and trying to squeeze things in between NaNo prep has been a challenge, to say the least.
Today I'm going to tell you about possibly my favorite historical figure. (Although there are so many, I'd be hard-pressed to pick one, Olympia is most definitely at the top of my list. 😉)
Olympia Morata has been a hero of mine since I read the book Weight of a Flame: The Passion of Olympia Morata by Simonetta Carr a few years ago.
With no further ado:
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Olympia Morata
Olympia Morata was born in 1526 in Ferrara, Italy to Fulvio Pellegrino Morato and Lucrezia Morata. She was their oldest and first daughter.
At the young age of thirteen Olympia was fluent in Latin and Greek, at this time (1539), She was invited to tutor and be a companion of study to Anna d’Este the daughter of Duke Ercole II and Duchess Renee of France, at the royal court of Ferrara.
Unfortunately, in 1548 her beloved father fell ill, and she was called home to care for him. Shortly after her return, Fulvio died and Olympia was devastated.
Up to this point, Olympia had not really cared about what she believed, but with the passing of her father, she began to wonder. After finding a letter in his desk to a friend, this letter helped her clearly see what her father believed and encouraged her to follow in his steps.
Olympia requested to return to court, but she was no longer needed since she was now a protestant and Anna now resided in France with her husband Francis, Duke of Guise, who was a fierce persecutor of the Huguenots.
With Fulvio dead and Olympia out of work, the Morata family became very poor. Most families of that time would have sent their children to convents or monasteries, but because the Moratas were Protestant, they would not.
When Olympia’s father had been sick, a doctor from Germany called Andreas Grunthler had helped her father and in 1550 at age twenty-four Olympia married him. Unfortunately, Olympia had poor health her entire life and was unable to have her own children, so she cared for her eight-year-old brother, Emilio.
Soon Olympia and Andreas were forced to flee the country because of the pressing persecution of Protestants. So, the young couple moved to Schweinfurt, Germany, which was Andreas’ childhood home. On the way, Olympia finished her translation of Psalm 23 into Greek meter. By the end of her life, she translated all the Psalms into Greek meter.
Shortly after arriving, Schweinfurt was occupied by the soldiers of Albert Alciabides. Andreas was put in charge of the army’s hospital. Unfortunately, when Alciabides left, the enemy poured in. Many fled to the church, but it was lit on fire causing the whole town to be set ablaze, Olympia and her little family found themselves running again.
Olympia, Andreas, and Emilio all fled to Heidelberg. The year was 1555 and Andreas was accepted as a professor of medicine at the university, while Olympia tutored students in Latin and Greek. But while under siege in Schweinfurt Olympia had developed a fever that never fully subsided, and a few months later at the young age of twenty-nine, she died. Less than two months after her death the plague swept through Heidelberg, taking with it, Andreas and Emilio, who was only thirteen.
Olympia was an encouragement to many, even writing letters to Anna after her marriage encouraging her to become a protestant. This poem she wrote shortly before her death tells us that she did not fear death but longed to be with Christ, May we all be able to say this one day:
“I long to fade away so great is my confidence in Christ, and to be with Him in whom my life thrives.”
Olympia is an inspiration to me because she is an example of a godly woman who was willing to give up a life of luxury for a life of hardship. She stands out to me because of her love for learning and her dedication to God.
If you’d like to learn more about the life of Olympia Morata I’d recommend, Weight of a Flame: The Passion of Olympia Morata by Simonetta Carr.
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And that's a wrap y'all! hope you enjoyed learning about Olympia Morata as much as I have.
Blessings,
Mattie May
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