(Image Source: metmuseum.org)
History of Consecrated Virginity
God’s immediate establishment of holy marriage between Adam and Eve at the outset of creation in Genesis, the exaltation of married love most climactically expressed in the Song of Songs, and the subsequent prophetic preaching of God’s spousal love for His Church originating in Hosea all lead followers of God to understand that God loves His Church as His Bride.
In terms of vocations at the time of the Old Testament, celibacy and perpetual virginity were considered a great humiliation, except within a few groups.
The origins of consecrated virginity are deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture.
When did consecrated virginity start?
When we are next introduced to Jesus in the New Testament, we discover that He too has freely embraced a life of celibacy in His own life. In His humanity, Jesus could have taken a wife if He wanted to. He’s God, of course. However, He shows us that He is establishing a New Covenant. And in that New Covenant, He offers remaining in one’s virginal state as a path to His followers - as a gift, even!
In Matthew 19:11-12, Jesus officially presents living as a eunuch for the Kingdom of God as a particular gift given by God to those who are called to it. The virginal and celibate life that was once despised is now encouraged and modeled by the Son of God Himself within the radically transformed context of the Kingdom of God.
As Jesus’ apostles and disciples followed Him more closely during His public ministry, through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and into apostolic times, they grew in their desire to be like Him.
While upholding the necessity or value of marriage, Saint Paul further encourages Jesus’ preaching to remain in one’s virginal state in 1 Corinthians 7:25-39: He says, “An unmarried woman or virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit… I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction” (1 Cor 7:34-35).
Virgins did indeed heed this call and thus began the introduction of consecrated virginity.
(For more information on the origins of consecrated virginity and its Scriptural foundation, see ESI 11-17).
Then John the Baptist, the last prophet before Jesus, arrives boldly preaching to prepare the way of the Lord, all while living a virginal and celibate life himself.
2020s: Thousands of consecrated virgins live worldwide, embracing this ancient vocation in a renewed form, dedicated to prayer, apostolic service, and spiritual motherhood while remaining in the secular world.
Present Day
2018: Instruction issued by the Vatican to provide guidance on formation, identity, and life of consecrated virgins, emphasizing their ecclesial role.
Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago
1990s–2000s: The number of consecrated virgins increased globally, with diocesan bishops overseeing the discernment and consecration process.
modern resurgence
1983: The Code of Canon Law officially recognized consecrated virgins living “in the world” under the authority of the diocesan bishop (Canon 604).
Canon Law
1970: Pope Paul VI approved the revised Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity, allowing women living in the world (not just in monasteries) to be consecrated.
Restoration of the Rite
1960s: Sacrosanctum Concilium encouraged restoration of ancient rites and the vocation of consecrated virginity outside of religious communities was reconsidered.
Vatican II
1900s: French consecrated virgin Anne Leflaive advocates within the Vatican to have the Rite of Consecration restored for women living in the world and the ancient vocation is reestablished. Interest in ancient vocations revived, especially after Vatican II's call for renewed expressions of consecrated life.
20th Century Renewal
17th–19th centuries: The rite of consecration for virgins not in religious orders fell into near disuse, surviving mainly within some cloistered communities.
Modern Decline
16th century: Reaffirmed the value of virginity and celibacy amid Protestant reforms; consecrated life remained primarily monastic.
Council of Trent
7th–15th centuries: The practice of consecrated virginity outside monasteries diminished; the rite was reserved mainly for nuns within religious orders.
Middle Ages
4th–6th centuries: Many consecrated virgins joined monastic communities; over time, the vocation became associated primarily with cloistered religious life.
Monastic Movement
4th century: The Church began officially recognizing the “Order of Virgins” with public consecrations by bishops during Mass.
The Canonical Rite
3rd-4th centuries: Formal liturgical rites of consecration for virgins developed; St. Ambrose and St. Augustine wrote about consecrated virgins and their spiritual significance.
Early Church Rituals
2nd–3rd centuries: Virgin-martyrs like St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, and St. Lucy exemplified the vocation, often resisting forced marriages and dying for their faith and virginity. Sts. Clement, Ignatius of Antioch, and Justin all mention those living chastity in their writings.
Early Martyrs
1st century: Consecrated virginity began as the most ancient form of consecrated life with early Christian women who chose lifelong virginity as a radical commitment to Christ, inspired by figures like St. Paul (1 Cor 7) and the Virgin Mary.
Apostolic Era
History of Consecrated Virginity
The stimulus for ecclesial renewal that inspired the Second Vatican Council also created interest in the liturgical rite for the consecratio virginum and in the Ordo virginum. Many centuries after its disappearance, and in a radically transformed historical context, in which profound changes in the condition of women in the Church and in society were taking place, this ancient form of consecrated life displayed a surprising force of attraction. It seemed capable of responding not only to the desires of many women to dedicate themselves totally to the Lord and to their neighbours, but also to the concurrent rediscovery by the particular Church of its own identity in communion with the one Body of Christ (ESI 6).
Since this form of consecrated life was re-introduced in the Church, there has been a real revival of the Ordo virginum, whose vitality is evident in the rich variety of personal charisms placed at the service of the Church’s development and of the renewal of society in the spirit of the Gospel. The phenomenon appears to be very significant, not only for the number of women involved, but also for its diffusion throughout all continents, in many countries and Dioceses and in very diverse geographic areas and cultural contexts (ESI 8).
Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago addresses the renewal of Consecrated Virginity Lived in the World in the following paragraphs:
The consecration of virgins living in the world began to fall out of practice when monasticism came about in the fifth century and women commonly followed vocations to religious life. The Rite of Consecration remained an option for nuns, but bishops did not generally consecrate virgins living in the world for many centuries. During the 20th century, it experienced a great resurgence that is still occurring to this day.
In 1924, Anne Leflaive (1899–1987), a Frenchwoman, was consecrated as a virgin living in the world. She and a few other women who were consecrated using the Rite of Consecration then found themselves in a conundrum when the Congregation for Religious declared and Pope Pius XI approved that “It is not expedient to concede the faculty of giving the blessing and consecration of virgins to women living in the world.”
Anne Leflaive then began traveling to the Vatican, where she became friends with P. Pius XII, P. John XXIII, and P. Paul VI. Over the decades, she advocated to have the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity for Women Living in the World restored and that work proved fruitful after Vatican II when the Rite of Consecration was restored in 1970. Leflaive’s efforts played a key role in revitalizing a cherished tradition within the Church, one that continues to inspire many women to this day.
Resurgence of Consecrated Virginity
St. Margaret of Antioch (3rd–4th century) – Known for her steadfast faith and virginity despite persecution.
St. Anastasia of Sirmium (c. 280–c. 304) – Roman noblewoman and martyr known for aiding persecuted Christians during Diocletian’s reign.
St. Agnes of Rome (c. 291–c. 304) – Martyred at a young age for refusing marriage and preserving her consecrated virginity.
St. Lucy of Syracuse (d. c. 304) – Refused marriage to remain a virgin for Christ, martyred during the Diocletian persecution.
St. Philomena of Rome (d. c. 304) – Young virgin and martyr, venerated after her tomb was discovered in the Roman catacombs in the 19th century.
St. Catherine of Alexandria (c. 287–c. 305) – A highly educated virgin who debated pagan philosophers and was martyred for refusing to renounce Christ.
St. Dymphna of Ireland (c. 7th century) – Princess who fled her father’s incestuous intentions and was martyred in Belgium for her faith and purity.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) – Native American convert to Christianity who embraced a life of virginity, prayer, and penance amid suffering and cultural opposition.. (Note that while she did not receive the Rite of Consecration of Virgins, she vowed to remain a virgin.)
St. Mary, Virgin of Virgins – (1st century BC to 1st century AD) – Mother of Jesus, honored as the first and most exalted of consecrated virgins.
St. Thecla of Iconium (1st century) – Follower of St. Paul, she defied social norms to live as a virgin and is honored as a proto-martyr among women.
St. Blandina of Lyon (d. 177) – Slave girl and virgin who endured brutal tortures and was martyred during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius.
St. Cecilia (c. 2nd–3rd century) – Patroness of music, known for her vow of virginity and martyrdom.
St. Apollonia of Alexandria (d. c. 249) – Elderly virgin martyred during an anti-Christian riot, remembered especially for having her teeth violently pulled out.
St. Agatha of Sicily (d. c. 251) – Endured torture and martyrdom after rejecting a Roman official’s advances.
St. Restituta of Carthage (d. c. 255) – North African virgin and martyr burned alive for her Christian faith during the Decian persecution.
St. Barbara of Heliopolis (3rd century) – Virgin martyr imprisoned and beheaded by her own father for embracing Christianity.
Sts. Justa and Rufina of Seville (c. 3rd century) – Young sisters and potters who refused to sell idols, leading to their martyrdom under Roman rule.
Note that the Church honors other canonized saints in their virginity with the term “virgin” as well, but not all of them necessarily lived the vocation of consecrated virginity lived in the world (e.g., St. Teresa of Avila or St. Clare of Assisi). Those saints are not included in this list.