The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 2, Winter 2019 | Page 59

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did not take a conventual vow. She lived
a hermitic life, rarely leaving her bedroom
in her mother’s home and living
ascetically. 60 She did not have any intention
of reversing her vows, however;
the treatment she received prior to 1441
demanded that she live the rest of her
life as a virgin dedicated to God. Even
though Isotta did not enter a convent,
her new religious lifestyle was accepted,
applauded, and even encouraged by
Northern Italian society.
Veronese and Venetian men
and women saw Isotta’s self-imposed
religious exile as her acceptance of
the traditional Aristotelian values of
their society. In her new role as a holy
woman, they encouraged her to pursue
advanced philosophy and become
a “woman intellectual” because a religious
life required her to be learned. 61
For instance, humanist Lauro Quirini
(1420-1479) advised her to only study
Aristotle in order to “have knowledge
of [humanist studies], as well as [philosophy
and theology].” 62 Costanza Varano
(1426–1447) applauded Isotta for
taking up the traditional role of “woman
religious,” but also encouraged her
to continue her intellectual pursuit now
that she had pledged herself to God. 63
That was completely the opposite of
how she was treated between 1436 and
1439, when she pursued a secular humanist
career as an unmarried woman.
As long as she remained committed to
her pledge of virginity and devoted herself
to God as a holy woman, Isotta was,
therefore, allowed to pursue humanist
studies and be a learned lady. The life of
a holy woman was so similar to that of a
nun that Isotta did not pose a threat to