Vincentian places series

William Magee Seton died in Pisa and was buried the next day in the English cemetery at Livorno. (age 37)

Pisa was the city where William Magee Seton, Elizabeth’s husband, died on 27 December 1803.

The church of Saint Catherine of Siena, a short walk from the Filicchi home, was a place where the young Elizabeth, despite being of the Anglican faith, daily sought refuge.

In the famous Venezia Nuova quarter of Livorno, Italy, is the 18th century palace in which Elizabeth and her daughter were hosted by the Filicchi family.

The hilltop Sanctuary of the Madonna of Montenero, Patron of Livorno and of Tuscany, is one of the first Catholic churches where Elizabeth attended Mass and had a spiritual awakening to the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.

After her fifth child was born in 1802, William’s tuberculosis worsened. In 1803, Elizabeth, William and their oldest daughter traveled to Livorno, Italy with the hope that he would recover his health.

After Elizabeth’s father’s death, the young couple moved into a house at 8 State Street (1801-1803). Today, a Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is located there, at the southern tip of Manhattan.

The Bayley summer estate on Staten Island provided more than escape from city life— it became a spiritual retreat where Elizabeth found solace in prayer and nature, especially during times of loss.

In addition to his residence in the city, Elizabeth’s husband William Seton acquired, in 1784, a property which at that time was a country place several miles from the heart of New York. He called it Craigdon.