Portraits of 22 extraordinary women whose lives have made, and continue to make, a lasting impact on our world.

They are saints, mystics, martyrs, reformers, poets, missionaries, environmentalists, and mothers from diverse cultures and countries.

Here are women upon whose shoulders all women stand. Here are their amazing stories, with haunting reflections by the poet Edwina Gateley and revealing biographies and drawings by Sandra Mattucci.