Although I do not think it very likely but for all I know Pope Leo XIV may have plans to build a Papal basilica in his home area in south Chicago to commemorate and celebrate his elevation to the Chair of Peter.
If he were to think of so doing he might wish to take note of the problems faced by one of his predecessors, and his family, who did just that in the thirteenth century. That was Pope Urban IV and his creation was the basilica of Saint- Urbain in his native city of Troyes.
The story of the conflict which ensued is set out in a new post from Medievalists.net at When Medieval Nuns Stopped a Papal Construction Site: The Turbulent Story of the Basilica of Saint-Urbain in Troyes
When people talk of ‘empowering’ women in the modern Church maybe they should reflect on the range of previous experiences of empowered female roles in ecclesiastical life.
On my one visit to Troyes, which has a very picturesque city centre around the cathedral, we did not get to visit this Papal foundation, which having read this story I regret all the more.
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