It was only after her fortieth year that Battista Vernazza began to write her spiritual experiences—the special interior graces conferred on her from time to time; it has been thought wonderful that she could find time for this in the midst of the many exterior duties her new office implied, but it may well be that the very fact of their distracting nature made her the more anxious to refresh her soul by this spiritual work. She continued to write during the rest of her life in spite of other absorbing offices, for she was only relieved of the Procuratorship to become successively Mother Vicaress and Abbess. Her writings fill six large volumes and consist of colloquies, spiritual treatises and disserations—notably one on the Pater Noster and (for she retained her love for poetry) twelve Spiritual Canticles treating of the mystery of our Lord's life and four on divine love, also five sonnets; and to these must be added her letters.