Anna Maria Adorni Botti

Having become a widow, she dedicated her life and resources to the most destitute, visiting women incarcerated in Parma. She founded the "Pia unione delle dame visitatrici delle carceri" under the patronage of Duchess Marie-Louise of Austria, then the "Istituto del Buon Pastore" to welcome women upon their release from prison and young girls in danger. On May 1, 1857, she founded the congregation of the Handmaids of the Immaculate (Ancelle dell'Immacolata). The institute and the congregation were approved by the Bishop of Parma in 1876, and the constitutions were confirmed on January 28, 1893, shortly before her death on February 7, 1893.

The reputation of holiness of Anna Maria Adorni Botti was maintained after her death. The diocesan informative process opened in Parma on February 29, 1940, and concluded on April 5, 1943. The apostolic process then took place from March 5, 1953, to March 10, 1956. On February 6, 1978, Pope Paul VI recognized the heroic nature of her virtues and declared her venerable.

The miracle accepted for her beatification is the unexplained recovery in February 1939 of Giuseppe Buttignol, who was suffering from severe lethargic encephalitis and symptoms of meningitis. After sixteen days in a coma, he recovered suddenly following prayers addressed to Anna Maria Adorni. Validated by the medical commission on November 27, 2008, the miracle was recognized by Pope Benedict XVI on March 27, 2010. The beatification was celebrated on October 3, 2010, in the Cathedral of Parma by Cardinal Angelo Amato.

Anna Maria's spirituality rests on trust in Providence and a devotion to the Immaculate Conception. Nicknamed the "Living Rosary," she expressed her joy with the phrase: "If there is a happy person in life, it is certainly me." Her legacy continues through the congregation of the Handmaids of the Immaculate of Parma, active among women and minors in difficulty in Italy and Romania.