Antonia Dorotea de Chopitea de Villota (4 June 1816,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile – 3 April 1891,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain) was a Chile-born philanthropist and social worker based in Barcelona. She is considered the principal patroness and the most important social work promoter in Barcelona in the 19th century. She was declared

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

Pope John Paul I Pope John Paul I ( la, Ioannes Paulus I}; it, Giovanni Paolo I; born Albino Luciani ; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later. Hi ...

on 9 June 1983.

Life

Antonia Dorotea de Chopitea de Villota was born on 4 June 1816 in Santiago, Chile, to Pedro Nicolás de Chopitea and Isabel de Villota. Her father was a royalist and after the proclamation of Independence of Chile his assets were confiscated. In 1819, the family was forced in to move to Spain and settled in Barcelona. In 1831, they briefly returned to Chile hoping to recover lost possessions and obtain compensation for their confiscated assets, however it was unsuccessful, and the family returned to Barcelona the same year. At the age of 16, Chopitea married 22-year-old Josep María Serra Muñoz on 31 October 1832. The marriage was against the will of Chopitea's parents. Her husband later was among the founders of the Bank of Barcelona and the Maquinista Terrestre y Maritima, as well as a consul to the Chilean government in Barcelona. Between 1834 and 1845 Chopitea became a mother of six daughters. They were named Dorotea, Ana María, Isabel, María Luisa, Carmen and Jesuina. One of the daughters died when she was 16. In 1873, The Serra-Chopitea family settled in the Ensanche, in a palace-house on the Gran Vía (currently occupied by the Hotel Gran Vía). Dorotea de Chopitea died on 3 April 1891 in Barcelona at the age of 74. In 1928, her remains were transferred from the cemetery of the

Poblenou El Poblenou (; ) is an extensive neighborhood of Barcelona ( Sant Martí district) that borders the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Sant Adrià del Besòs to the east, Parc de la Ciutadella in Ciutat Vella to the west, and Sant Andreu to the nort ...

neighborhood to The Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Sarria, founded by her.

Philanthropy and social work

In 1835, after the protests and the burning of convents, Chopitea was determined to support the marginalized social strata and spend money for education of the working class youth. She had a vision that the key to solving the conflict was in improving the living conditions of the poor and marginalized. TumbaDoroteaChopitea

Chopitea created an extensive network of support for the most disadvantaged by the industrial revolution. She founded hospitals, residences, schools and asylum rooms, where working mothers could leave their children, and workshops to teach craft to young people. It is estimated that in total around 30 foundations were the result of Chopitea's and her husband's charity. Only on Catalan lands four churches, fifteen schools, four hospitals and seven residences were founded by Chopitea. Additionally, she along with Presbitero Blas Cañas and the philanthropist Manuel Arriarán, made possible the foundation of the

Salesian school A Salesian school is an educational institution run by the Roman Catholic Salesians of Don Bosco, Salesian Congregation of Saint John Bosco (or Don Bosco), and one that uses his methods. Salesian schools are dedicated to young people in an educatio ...

s "Patrocinio de San Jose" and "Maria Auxiliadora" in Santiago and the so-called "Salesian Educational Center" in Talca, Chile. Chopitea was the patroness of the order The Religious of the Sacred Heart, often called, the Madames of the Sacred Heart, that founded an advanced academy with social prestige for daughters of the elite to teach behavior and expectations appropriate to the upper class. The order has served the daughters of wealthy Catholic families in Europe, Latin America and the United States.
After the death of her husband in 1882, Chopitea donated a half of what she had inherited from him to the poor. The same year she met

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19t ...

, the founder of Salesian order, and became its benefactor financing the temple of Tibidado dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

Commemoration and beatification process

Following the death of Chopitea three her biographies appeared: in 1892 by the Jesuit Jaume Nonell, in 1926 by Jesuit Jacint Alegre, and in 1962 by the Salesian Amadeo Burdeus. Numerous religious orders agreed that she had died as a saint. In 1927, the Salesian congregation started the process of

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

of Chopitea and it is still in progress. Pope John Paul I declared her Venerable on 9 June 1983. On the occasion of bicentenary of Chopitea's birth a documentary ''Dorothy de Chopitea, a lady of Barcelona'' was shot. The objective of the film is to advocate her legacy and reveal her personality to spread information about her contributions.

List of foundations

Temples (5)

* Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón * Iglesia de San José * Santuario y Parroquia de María Auxiliadora * Basílica y Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón * Parroquía de San Eugenio I Papa

Schools (15)

* Sagrado Corazón-Sarriá * Sagrado Corazón-Aldana * Sagrada Família * Jesuitas de Caspe * Salesianos de Sarriá * Salesianas de Sarriá * Salesianos de Rocafort * La Salle Barceloneta * San Juan Bautista Barceloneta * Jesuitas de Sarriá * Asunción * Sagrado Corazón-Diputación * La Salle Gracia * San Vicente de Paúl * La Salle Les Corts. Avda. Sarriá 8 * La Salle Poble Sec. Blay 42

Hospitals (4)

* Hospital de San Juan de Dios (Hermanos de San Juan de Dios) * Hospital San Rafael (Hospitalarias del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús * Hospital del Sagrado Corazón (Hospitalarias del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) * Hospital de Niños de Barcelona

Residences (7)

* Asilo de San Juan Bautista * Asilo de San Rafael * Residencia de María Reparadora (Reparadoras) * Residencia y Centro Social de María Inmaculada (Religiosas de María Inmaculada) * Asilo de la calle de la Luna * Asilo del Buen Consejo (Dominicas de la Presentación) * Asilo de ancianos (Hermanitas de los Pobres)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chopitea, Dorotea de 19th-century Spanish women 1816 births 1891 deaths 19th-century Chilean women Spanish social workers Chilean emigrants to Spain Spanish philanthropists People from Santiago People from Barcelona 19th-century philanthropists 19th-century women philanthropists