The Cloister Witch of Carpi (Carpi, Italy. 1630s)
Three convent inhabitants are dead. Eleven more are convulsing, screaming and speaking in foreign tongues. Exorcists conclude that there is only one explanation; A witch must be living among the nuns.
Inspired by the real testimonies of nuns and exorcists, preserved in the archives of the Inquisition of Modena, The Cloister Witch of Carpi brings to life one of the most extraordinary forgotten episodes in Italian women’s history.
In the Convent of Santa Chiara, sixty women live cloistered from the world. Most are the ‘spare daughters’ of Italy’s greatest noble families. Some entered the convent willingly; others had no choice.
Among them are two women who have spent a lifetime bound together by friendship, rivalry, and dangerous secrets: Eleonora d’Este, the formidable princess-abbess, and Ginevra Martinelli, a commoner who carries the ancient wisdom passed on to her through the women of her bloodline.
Ginevra believes love is worth any sacrifice. Eleonora believes it is the root of every woman’s downfall. As terror enters the convent, their opposing convictions place them on a collision course.
















