Isabella Roser was a sixteenth-century

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

noble woman of

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 ...

who helped

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

and sponsored him, when, on returning from Jerusalem, the 30-year-old

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

wished to start anew his schooling. She later demanded membership of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

for herself and two female companions. Although this was initially granted it was rescinded and the order has remained open only to males ever since.

Life

Isabella Roser was born into the powerful noble Ferrer family of Catalonia. She married the wealthy Barcelona merchant Juan Roser. In the early 1520s Isabella noticed

while listening to a sermon in the church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona, and was struck by his grave and modest demeanor. She invited him to her home for dinner.Young, William John (1959). ''Letters of St. Ignatius of Loyola'' Roser became part of a group of wealthy female sponsors of Loyola. Other notable members were Inez Pacual and Isabel de Josa. The group was nicknamed the "Inigas". Fülöp-Miller, René (1997). ''Power and Secret of the Jesuits'' In 1543, Isabella, who had been widowed in 1541, along with two female companions, her lady-in-waiting Francisca Cruyllas, and her friend Lucrezia di Bradine, arrived in Rome and obtained from Pope Paul III to be placed 'under the obedience' of Ignatius. They helped to finance and administer St Martha's, a rehabilitation center for reformed prostitutes. On Christmas Day 1545, in Rome, the three women professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Isabella also bequeathed her entire estate to the Society, although Ignatius attempted to refuse it.Powers, Tom (2000). "18. There Were Women Jesuits"Hendrix, Scott H.; Karant-Nunn, Susan C. (2008). ''Masculinity in the Reformation Era'' Rumors began to circulate that Ignatius had robbed Isabella of her fortune. This dispute went to court, which decided against Isabel. She and her companions were dismissed from the Society on 1 October 1546. In 1547, Ignatius successfully petitioned the Pope to have the

Society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

freed for ever from accepting 'nuns or women living in community' under spiritual obedience.Document ''De foeminis in Societatem non admittendis'' approved by Paul III on 19 May 1547 Biographers of Saint Ignatius have called this the "affaire Roser".''Dinner Party Database of Notable Women''. Brooklyn Museum. Isabella returned to Barcelona and continued live a pious life. Eventually she entered a Franciscan convent in Jerusalem where she lived until her death.

Conflation with Isabel de Josa

Since around the nineteenth century, some historians have confused the life of Isabella Roser with that of her contemporary and fellow supporter of Loyola, the scholar Isabel de Josa.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roser, Isabella 16th-century Spanish women Year of birth missing Year of death missing Former Jesuits Catalan nobility Catalan women 16th-century Spanish people