Saint Agnes of Montepulciano was born in 1268 in Tuscany, Italy as a wealthy, pious child and by the age of 6 she was nagging her parents to let her join the convent. And at age 9 she was admitted to the convent at Montepulciano, Italy. When her spiritual director was appointed abbess in Procena, she took Agnes with her. Her reputation for piety attracted other sisters. She was abbess at only age 15 after receiving special permission from Pope Nicholas IV. She insisted on greater austerities in the abbey, so she lived on bread and water, slept on the ground, and used a stone as a pillow. In 1298 she returned to Montepulciano to begin work in a new convent. She became prioress of the house for the last 17 years of her life. She made a pilgrimage to Rome. There are many stories that grew up around Agnes. She died on April 20, 1317 at the convent of Montepulciano after following a lengthy illness. Miracles were reported at her tomb and her body is incorrupt. Her relics are in the Dominican church in Orvieto, Italy. She was canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
I cannot even imagine entering a convent at age 9, nor if I were in a convent living as an adult with a 9 year old and then taking orders from a 15 year old. But I guess having that deep of faith, one would not even see the age difference. We say that God has no sense of time.
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