Francisca Josefa de la Concepción
Mother Francisca Josefa de la Concepción | |
|---|---|
 An allegorical portrait of Sister Josefa del Castillo, c. 1813 | |
| Born | Francisca Josefa de Castillo y Guevara 6 October 1671 Tunja, New Kingdom of Granada, Spanish Empire |
| Died | 1742 Tunja, Viceroyalty of New Granada, Spanish Empire |
| Occupation | Nun |
| Language | Spanish |
| Period | 1694—1742 |
| Subject | Christian mysticism |
| Notable works | Afectos espirituales |
 Literature portal | |
Francisca Josefa de la Concepción OSC Tunja (1671–1742) was a Spanish Neogranadine nun and mystic in the region of New Kingdom of Granada which later became Colombia. The first recorded woman writer of what now is Colombia, her devotional and autobiographical writings were published posthumously.[1][2][3]
Her work has been studied by Dario Achury Valenzuela, Constanza Toquica, Ángela Inés Robledo, Antonio Gómez Restrepo, Elisa Mújica, José María Vergara y Vergara, and Daniel Alejandro Montes, among others, who recognize her as one of the most prominent writers of Neogranadine literature.
Origins
Francisca Josefa de Castillo y Guevara was born into a wealthy family on October 6, 1671, in
As a young woman she became a
Religious life
At age 18, after facing family opposition, she entered the Convent of Santa Clara la Real, in Tunja; she spent two years as a laywoman and two as a novice. On September 24, 1694, at age 23, became a nun. Around this time, Francisca Josefa bought her own cell, which had a grandstand overlooking the chapel and, on the other side, overlooked an orchard with fruit trees. This cell has now become a tourist destination for those who visit the convent.
Her initial life in the convent was difficult, due to the envy generated by Francisca's outstanding intelligence (despite scarce academic resources, she managed to learn Latin and read the Bible). In 1691 she began her novitiate and three years later she professed the vows of a nun, under the name of Francisca Josefa de la Concepción.
Throughout her life she was influenced by the priests who officiated as her confessors, who encouraged her to write about the mystical feelings she experienced. She carried out all kinds of tasks within her religious community, such as sacristana, midwife, nurse, novice mistress, listener, secretary and on four occasions she was elected abbess (1715, 1718, 1729 and 1738). She also learned to play the organ.
Selected works
- Castillo, Francisca Josefa de la Concepción (1817). Castillo y Alarcon, Antonio María de (ed.). Vida de la V M Francisca Josefa de la Concepción... (autobiography) (in Spanish). Philadelphia: T H Palmer. OCLC 5356222.
- — (1843). Gaitán, Benito (ed.). Sentimientos espirituales de la venerable Madre Francisca Josefa de la Concepción (compilation) (in Spanish). Bogotá: Imprenta de Bruno Espinosa de los Monteros. OCLC 8811302.
- — (1968). Achury Valenzuela, Darío (ed.). Obras completas de la Madre Francisca Josefa de la Concepción (compilation) (in Spanish). Bogotá: OCLC 1199914.
See also
- María Josefa Acevedo Sánchez
- Juan de Castellanos Sánchez
References
- OCLC 39236834. Archived from the originalon 18 February 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- OCLC 5542799. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- OCLC 254597708. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
Further reading
- Morales Borrero, María Teresa (1968). La Madre Castillo: Su Espiritalidad y Su Estilo [Mother Castillo: Her Spirituality and Style] (literary review) (in Spanish). Bogotá: OCLC 1906573.
- Jarvis, Kathleen Jeanette (1985). Madre Casillo's Afectos Espirituales: Translation and Commentary (thesis). Austin: OCLC 13055731.
- Lavrin, Asunción (1983). "Document 10: The Writings of a Mystic (Mother Francisca Josefa de Castillo's Mystical Writings)". In OCLC 21999581.
