Anna Maria Antigó i Pujol (19 January 1602 – 28 September 1676) was a Catalan

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. Antigo was

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of the convent St. Clair-de-la-Passion, in

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

, dedicated to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

. She is best known for her work for peace in this community, her reform of the Poor Clares' convent, and for her influence in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

and beyond. She is interred at St. Claire monastery, Perpignan. A beatification was initiated by the bishop of Perpignan, , in 1909, but the process remained pending. Recognized as

venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

, Antigo has a significant popular devotional following.

Biography

Antigo was born in 1602, in the parish of St. James, in

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

Principality of Catalonia The Principality of Catalonia (; ; ; ) was a Middle Ages, medieval and early modern state (polity), state in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. During most of its history it was in dynastic union with the Kingdom of Aragon, constituting together ...

Monarchy of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...

. She was the daughter of the grocer Antigó Miquel Pujol and Marcellina. She entered the convent of Santa Clara of Poor Clares in 1621, where he was noted for her virtue and fervor towards

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

. On 30 March 1645, she was elected as the abbess. On 10 November 1652, Governor

Pedro Rosselló Pedro Juan Rosselló González (; born April 5, 1944) is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001. He was President of the New Progressive Party from 1991 to 1999 and 2003 to 2008, an ...

, who was appointed by

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, banished the collaborationist Francesc de Segarra to Barcelona with twenty nuns, including Antigo, for "anti-French sentiments." They were installed at the convent of Santa Isabel during their exile which lasted more than eight years. Following the signing of the

Treaty of the Pyrenees The Treaty of the Pyrenees(; ; ) was signed on 7 November 1659 and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635. Negotiations were conducted and the treaty was signed on Pheasant Island, situated in the middle of the Bidasoa River on ...

in 1659, Louis XIV pardoned them and stated they could come back the following year despite the negative influence of the governor, Segarra. On the occasion of a visit that

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

made on 10 April 1660 to the Santa Clara convent in Perpignan, Antigo asked for amnesty for exiled religious and she won Anne of Austria's favor. Thus, on May 25 of that year, Antigó and her companions were able to return to the convent in Perpignan. Another one of her notable accomplishments was within the religious community during the French occupation in trying to maintain the language and culture within the community, in addition to ensuring Catholic fervor and local customs. In 1664, Antigo was named the new abbess. Accompanied by sister Coronado and the support of fifteen sisters, they asked the Pope to remove the convent of Franciscan obedience and place it on the authority of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Perpignan-Elne The Diocese of Perpignan–Elne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Elnensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Perpignan–Elne''; Catalan: ''Bisbat de Perpinyà–Elna'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France.rules of order Parliamentary procedures are the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Their object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense ...

, and she maintained a strict convent life until her death. Antigo died on September 28, 1676, widely admired and revered, as evidenced by her grave, which became a place of pilgrimage locally. At least within the community, there was a willingness to pray to a woman who was already credited some miraculous actions.Conseil Genéral des Pirenées Orientales (2009). ''Deux ou trois choses que je sais d'elles. Portraits de femmes en Roussillon''. Perpignan: Archives départementales (in French) A cause for her beatification was opened on 27 July 1921, and she was formally declared a

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antigo, Anna Maria 1602 births 1676 deaths Poor Clare abbesses People from Perpignan