Madre María Rosa facts for kids

Maria Rosa was a Capuchin nun from Madrid, Spain. In 1712, she left Spain with four other nuns. Their goal was to start a new Capuchin convent in Lima, Peru.

Maria Rosa was an important example of women in the early modern period. She was part of the big changes happening in the Atlantic world. Her written account of her journey is the oldest known travel story written by a woman. It was very unusual for women to be able to read and write back then. It was even more rare for them to travel to the new world.

Nuns were usually not allowed to leave their convents. This rule came from the Council of Trent. But there was one exception: they could leave to start new convents. Maria Rosa's travel story gives us a great look into how a religious woman saw the world outside her convent walls. It shows that women, even with strict rules, had a strong desire to explore and spread their faith.

Who Was Maria Rosa?

Not much is known about Maria Rosa's early life. She was born in Madrid on January 14, 1660. Her parents were Joseph de Leon y Ayala and Estefania Muñoz. Her birth name was Josepha de Leon y Ayala. But she changed it to Maria Rosa when she became a nun. This was a common practice at the time.

Becoming a Nun

Maria Rosa joined the Capuchin convent in 1677. She was seventeen years old. Later, she was chosen to be the first mother abbess of the new convent in Lima. An abbess is the head nun of a convent. Because of this important role, she left Spain in 1712. She never returned.

Maria Rosa wrote down almost every day of her journey. She wanted to share her experiences with her original convent in Madrid. She also wanted the new nuns in Lima to know their story. One month before she died, she stepped down from her role. Her co-founder, María Gertrudis, became the new abbess. Maria Rosa passed away on August 14, 1716. She was fifty-six years old.

Her Amazing Journey

Maria Rosa's trip across the Atlantic Ocean was full of exciting adventures and tough challenges. Her written account of this journey was the first known travel document by a woman.

Why a New Convent?

A group of religious women in Lima wanted to become Capuchin nuns. They were living together and working towards this goal. So, the Capuchin order in Madrid chose five nuns to start a new nunnery in Lima.

The five founding nuns were:

• Madre María Rosa (the abbess, or leader)
• Madre Maria Estefania (the vicaress, or second-in-command)
• Madre Maria Gertrud's (the turn keeper)
• Madre Maria Bernarda (the novice mistress, who taught new nuns)
• Madre Josepha Victoria (a council member)

Challenges Along the Way

Their journey took three years in total. Two of those years were spent delayed on the Iberian Peninsula. This was because they were captured by the Dutch enemy. The trip was very dangerous. The Spanish War of Succession was happening at the time. This made their long and difficult journey even harder.

The nuns likely learned about the New World during their time in the Iberian Peninsula. Maria Rosa's writings show many different influences. She probably read other travel stories from convents where they stayed.

Her Special Travel Diary

Maria Rosa decided to write down the daily events of their travels. She wanted future nuns in Peru and Spain to know their pilgrimage story. This manuscript is special because it is told through Maria's own voice. It proves that women played an active part in the colonial expansion.

Her writing is "lively and multilayered." It helps us rethink what we thought about religious women from that time. They weren't boring at all! Maria's writing style had personality and even some sass.

Nuns were supposed to stay strictly inside their convents. They had very little contact with the outside world. So, Maria's experience was truly extraordinary. And it's even more impressive that she wrote it all down in detail.

Maria, like most religious women of her time, had only informal education. This was probably because she was a nun and came from a wealthy family. Most women back then could not read or write. Nuns were often the only women who could. They needed to read scriptures and teach new sisters.

Women who were successful were often ignored or silenced. This might be why Maria Rosa's writings were not found or celebrated until recently.

Her Legacy Today

Sarah Owens found the original writings of Maria Rosa's account. She found them in the National Library in Madrid. Sarah thought it was a wonderful story of "travel and adventure." She decided it needed to be published.

Thanks to this, Maria Rosa's experiences are now available. Scholars, students, and anyone interested in early women's history can read them.