Anna Moroni (educator)

Not to be confused with Anna Moroni

Anna Moroni (1613-1675) was an Italian educator.

Anna Moroni originally worked as a washer woman in Rome. However, she had had a difficulty of keeping her assignments, reportedly, because of her beauty, as beautiful women was discriminated against by women employers, who normally hired the female servants. Outside of domestic professions, prostitution was almost the only way for a poor woman to support herself in Rome. After an illness in 1646, she became very religious and was given Camillo Berlinsani as her confessor. In 1662, she was given permission by the church to open a home and school to learn handicrafts to poor girls and women who had failed to marry or find employment as domestic servants and was left with prostitution or beggary to support themselves. Her school was unusual in Italy, were schools for girls were normally founded and managed by nuns rather than secular women like Moroni. Her school was protected by the church and was in the 18th-century transformed in to an order.

References

• Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani – Volume 77 (2012)