Gender Feminine
Other Forms FormsVillano (masculine)
Meaning & History
Derived from Latin villana "villein, feudal tenant" (compare Villanus). Villana de' Botti (1332 - 1361) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. She turned to the Dominicans after a sudden conversion from a dissolute life and was noted for her simplistic life born out of her conversion. De' Botti had fierce detractors due to her stating she had religious ecstasies at Mass - which was true - and these opponents had even acknowledged her as a true living saint. She was beatified on 27 March 1824.