Mariana Alcoforado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mariana Alcoforado
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 Sóror Mariana Alcoforado
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| Born | April 22, 1640 Beja, Portugal |
| Died | July 28, 1723 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Nun, Writer |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Notable works | Letters of a Portuguese Nun |
Mariana Alcoforado was a Portuguese nun who lived a long time ago. She was born on April 22, 1640, in Beja, Portugal, and passed away on July 28, 1723. Mariana lived in a special building called the Convent of Our Lady of the Conception. This was a convent for nuns of the Poor Clares order.
Mariana is famous because of five letters, known as the Letters of a Portuguese Nun. People still discuss whether she truly wrote these letters. These letters talk about a special friendship she might have had with a French officer named Noël Bouton. This story made her hometown, Beja, well-known in books and stories, especially in Portugal and France.
Some experts believe the letters are a made-up story. They think someone else named Gabriel-Joseph de Lavergne wrote them. However, a real nun named Mariana Alcoforado did exist. A writer named Myriam Cyr wrote a book in 2006. In her book, she tried to show that Mariana Alcoforado really did write the letters.
Contents
Mariana's Early Life and Convent Days
Mariana Alcoforado was born in Beja, a city in Portugal. Her father, Francisco da Cunha Alcoforado, owned land. He was busy with important jobs for the government and the army. Because of this, he placed Mariana in the wealthy Conception convent. This was for her safety and to get an education.
Beja was an important military town. It was a main place for a long war with Spain. This war lasted for 28 years after Portugal became independent in 1640.
Mariana became a Franciscan nun when she was about 16 years old. She lived a quiet life in the convent. This convent was not very strict at the time. She lived there until she was about 25 years old.
Meeting the French Officer
Around the age of 25, Mariana met a young French nobleman. His name was Noël Bouton. He later became known as the Marquis of Chamilly. He was also a very important military leader in France.
Noël Bouton was one of the French officers who came to Portugal. They were there to help the Portuguese army. They fought against the Spanish army in a region called Alentejo.
Between 1665 and 1667, the Marquis of Chamilly spent a lot of time near Beja. He likely met Mariana's family through her brother, who was a soldier. Nuns were allowed to have visitors in the convent. This made it easy for Chamilly to meet Mariana.
The Famous Letters
After some time, their friendship became well-known. To avoid problems, Chamilly left Mariana and went back to France. This is when Mariana supposedly wrote the famous letters. These letters show her feelings and thoughts.
The fifth letter suggests that Mariana was starting to feel better. She lived a very strict life as a nun after this. She passed away at the age of 83. Her life story has also been told in a novel. The book is called Mariana and was written by Katherine Vaz in 2005.
See also
In Spanish: Mariana Alcoforado para niños
