A DUCHESS IMMURED IN A CONVENT.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 220, 22 June 1872, Page 3

A DUCHESS IMMURED IN A CONVENT.

A Vienna correspondent writes that a short while ago the world was surprised with the intelligence that a member of the Imperial family had entered a nunnery under very peculiar circumstances. Here "of course the affair occasioned the liveliest interest. The story is a very extraordinary one ; and as I believe I have obtained the real facts of the case, I shall tell it here. The lady in question is tho Infanta Maria Beatrie, the younger sister of the Duke of Modena, who for some years has been living in Vienna. On the morning of the 12th instant this lady entered, under the name of Sister Marie, tho Ursuline convent here, as a novice, of course, at first, but the gates on closing for ever shut her out from the world. She was born in 1824, and in 1847 married the Infante Johann and bad three children, two of whom are living at Frohsdorf. Within the last three years she has repeatedly journeyed to Rome to obtain from the Pope a special permission to enter a convent ; but on the ground that she was married, that her husband was living, that she had children, and even grand-children, this was steadily refused her. But she persevered, notwithstanding the earnest wishes of her children, and at length succeeded, through the assistance of a Jesuit Father living in Rome. The Pope granted her permission to enter any convent she chose. About three weeks ago her son, who is an officer in the Pope’s household, arrived in Vienna incognito to bid bis mother farewell ; the other children, among them the Infante Carl, and his wife, a daughter of the late Duke of Parma, also came from Frohsdorf, chiefly with the intention of dissuading their mother from retiring for ever from tho world and themselves. Many members of the Imperial family used their influence to the same cud. It is even said tho Archduchess Sophia, the Emperor’s mother, personally entreated the Infanta Maria Beatrix to alter her resolution, but without effect. We arc not told whether the person chiefly interested, the husband, added bis prayers to the implorations of the rest of the family. Towards the end her resolution appears to have been rather shaken, and she shut herself up for three days to pray and fast, and refused to see anyone beside her confessor, but she remained firm, bade farewell to her children and their children, passed the night in prayer with her religious adviser, and next morning left the palace with her favorite servants in two court carriages sent for the purpose. It seems the Lady Abbess expressed great dissatisfaction at the appearance of the court carriages, emblems of the worst pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and that the distinguished novice was actually requested to perform the journey over again in a humbler vehicle, and to dispense with all hut two of her attendants. She complied with this request j-and returned in a hired cab with two maids, for whom lodgings were taken in the neighborhood of the convent, so that they might be at hand in ease the sister Maria should become ill. The gate was opened, and the novice passed in, never to come out again, or to see her children, her husband, or her friends,