Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina was a Bohemian princess, who died in 1282.

"She appeared in Milan, and announced her gospel, a profane and fantastic parody, centring upon herself the great tenet of the Fraticelli, the reign of the Holy Ghost. In her, the daughter, she averred, of Constance, Queen of Bohemia, the Holy Ghost was incarnate. Her birth had its annunciation, but the angel Raphael took the place of the angel Gabriel. She was very God and very woman. She came to save Jews, Saracens, false Christians, as the Saviour the true Christians. Her human nature was to die as that of Christ had died. She was to rise again, and ascend into heaven. As Christ had left his vicar upon earth, so Wilhelmina left the holy nun Mayfreda. Mayfreda was to celebrate the mass at her sepulchre, to preach her gospel in the great church at Milan, afterwards at St. Peter's at Rome. She was to be a female pope, with full papal power to baptize Jews, Saracens, unbelievers. The four gospels were replaced by four Wilhelminian evangelists.

"She was to be seen by her disciples, as Christ after his resurrection. Plenary indulgence was to be granted to all who visited the convent of Chiaravalle, as to those who visited the tomb of our Lord: it was to become the great centre of pilgrimage. Her apostles were to have their Judas, to be delivered by him to the Inquisition. But the most strange of all was, that Wilhelmina, whether her doctrines were kept secret to the initiate, lived unpersecuted, and died in peace and in the odor of sanctity. She was buried first in the Church of St. Peter in Orto: her body was afterwards carried to the convent of Chiaravalle. Monks preached her funeral sermon; the saint wrought miracles, lamps and wax candles burned in profuse splendor at her altar; she had three annual festivals; her Pope Mayfreda celebrated mass.

"It was not till twenty years after, that the orthodox of the Milanese clergy awoke in dismay and horror; the wonder-working bones of St. Wilhelmina were dug up and burned; Mayfreda, and one Andrea Saramita, expiated at the stake the long unregarded blasphemies of their mistress."