1909 Catholic Dictionary
(c.1266-1290) Depicted in Dante’s poetry as his guide through Paradise, was the daughter of a Florentine merchant, Portinari, and wife of Simone dei Bardi. Dante’s love for her was purely spiritual and mystical, and after her death his idealized love for her was expressed in the Vita Nuova, a collection of sonnets. She is the central figure of the Divina Commedia, representing Heavenly Wisdom.