Juana de la Cruz Vázquez y Gutiérrez,

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, (3 May 1481 – 3 May 1534), was a Spanish

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 Franciscan Third Order Regular. Known to be a mystic, she was authorized to preach publicly, an extraordinary permission for a woman. Living at the start of Spanish mysticism's ''golden era'', she is counted among

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's literary mothers. In 2015 she was declared

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by the Catholic Church. Cultus as beata was confirmed on 25 November 2024 by

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Early life

Born Juana Vázquez y Gutiérrez, she was the daughter of Juan Vázquez and Catalina Gutiérrez, who were prosperous farmers in the town of Azaña, now called Numancia de la Sagra, on 3 May 1481. In 1488 her mother died and Vázquez decided to join the Beaterio (

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

) of Santa María de la Cruz de La Sagra, a community of Franciscan tertiaries founded in 1464 when she grew up, in order to fulfill a promise her mother had made while pregnant with her. In 1496 Vázquez went to live with an aunt and uncle in Illescas. Her beauty and virtue were such that she caught the eye of a noble knight, Francisco de Laorte. Juana's father betrothed her to him. Pressured by her family to marry, she dressed like a man and ran away from home. She was received by the sisters at Beaterio de Santa María de la Cruz. Pursued by her family, she convinced her father to give her permission to stay in the convent. The following year she made her

religious profession In the Catholic Church, a religious profession is the solemn admission of men or women into consecrated life by means of the pronouncement of religious vows, typically the evangelical counsels. Usage The 1983 Code of Canon Law defines the ter ...

, taking the name Juana de la Cruz. She lived as a Franciscan sister for 38 years, during which time she helped to spread the praying of the

rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

and devotion to the

Guardian Angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

Franciscan life

Vázquez lost the ability to speak for six months in 1506. Her biographers claim it was a time of purification that developed her gift of preaching, which she began to do in 1508 with the permission of Church authorities. She grew in popularity due to her preaching, which was such that the Franciscan preacher Fray Francisco de Torres claimed that she

...taught, moved and delighted (the listener) more than any of the most eloquent orators; (she preached) in a humble and plain style as is the custom of the Holy Spirit."

In addition to

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, among those who would go to her sermons were such leading figures of Spanish society as Cardinal Cisneros,

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...

, the military hero of the Reconquest, and Don Juan of Austria. In 1509, Vázquez obtained the raising of the status of the convent to that a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, of which she was then elected the first

. The next year, Cisneros granted her the favor of having the Church of San Andrés, a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

adjacent to the monastery, made a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of the community. The priest who had been

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

was reduced to being a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

. Although a common arrangement elsewhere in Europe, this was considered a scandal in Spain. Because several priests complained about this, Vázquez asked for and received approval for this arrangement from

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

. As abbess, Vázquez mentored and spiritually directed many nobles, clerics, religious and lay people. She also expanded the life of the nuns of the monastery to be dedicated to the education of young women. She and her sisters were able to extend the community with new foundations in Illescas, Fuensalida (1533) and San Martin de Valdeiglesias (1545). When Cisneros died in 1517, Vázquez became the victim of the

secular clergy In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. Secular priests (sometimes known as diocesan priests) are priests who commit themselves to a certain geograph ...

who tried to have the benefice removed from her authority. Because of this, she asked for and received papal confirmation of the benefice. Her troubles, however, continued when a certain nun, Sister Eufrasia, her community's sub-vicaress who desired to take over as abbess, defamed Vázquez to the other nuns. These false accusations reached the ears of the Franciscan

Minister Provincial A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial d ...

who deposed her as abbess. She obeyed and exhorted the sisters to accept his decision. Sister Eufrasia did not last long as abbess. She fell gravely ill and admitted her sin of envy and of defaming Vázquez, who, in 1523, was renamed the abbess of the community. In 1524, an illness left her paralyzed, but she continued preaching. Slowly, she who had called herself “God’s trumpet” became “God’s guitar.” Vázquez died on 3 May 1534 at the age of 53. Although she has not been

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

, popular piety refers to her as Santa Juana.

Influence

Seventy-two of Vázquez' sermons were collected in 1509 in the manuscript called ''The Conhorte'', which includes visions of heavenly life. Her sermons influenced

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (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 Order, and the Sec ...

s including

Jerónima de la Asunción Jerónima de la Asunción, Order of Saint Clare, O.S.C. (; 9 May 1555 – 22 October 1630) was a Spanish Roman Catholic Church, Catholic nun and abbess who founded the ''Real Monasterio de Santa Clara'' (Royal Monastery of Clare of Assisi, Saint ...

(foundress of the first Catholic monastery in the Philippines), Luisa de la Ascensión de Carrión (mystical poet) and Maria de Jesús de Ágreda. The power of her sermons led Friar Francisco de Torres to become her great admirer and supporter. He eventually added glosses to her sermons.

Process of canonization

Soon after her death, Vázquez was proclaimed a saint by the popular acclaim of the townspeople who called her '"la Santa Juana". Her remains were visited by kings, cardinals and the nobility. In 1615-1617, the

Archbishop of Toledo The Archdiocese of Toledo () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Spain.

proclaimed Vázquez to be holy and allowed the development of a public cult in her honor, which spread quickly throughout Spain and Latin America. Any formal recognition by the Catholic Church of this acclamation, however, was blocked by a decree of

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

that, to recognize the sanctity of a person, they had to be dead for at least one hundred years. In 1619 the cause for her

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "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 name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

was officially approved and her process of canonization begun. On 4 May 1630 she was declared

, and the tribunal reported favorably on her virtue and miracles. The process was halted, though, due to the loss of the documents promoting her cause. It is argued, however, that one factor contributing to this was the discomfort felt by Church authorities with the intensely homoerotic imagery she used to express her understanding of how the soul interacts with God and the role of

the Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loret ...

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. The process for her

was restarted three times in 1664-1679 and 1702-1731 and again in 1980. On 18 March 2015,

authorized the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints to release a decree declaring that she had exhibited

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...

during her life.

Mystical experience

Vázquez' mystical life began at a very early age and was nurtured by traditional Christian practice. She had her first mystical experience at age four. She fell off a horse and was lying on the ground as if dead when the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and her Guardian Angel appeared to Juana and healed her. She gave herself to the popular devotion of the

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

, the

and

guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

s. She eventually developed a

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

al devotion to

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 ...

and the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. During her adolescence, Vázquez practiced

mortification of the flesh Mortification may refer to: *Mortification (theology), theological doctrine *Mortification of the flesh, religious practice of corporal mortification *Mortification in Roman Catholic teaching, Roman Catholic doctrine of mortification *Extreme emb ...

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

and prayer vigils. At age fifteen, guided by her Guardian Angel, Vázquez dressed as a man and ran away from home to join a Franciscan convent where she was welcomed by an image of the Virgin Mary that spoke to her as she waited to speak with the superior. At age 25 Vázquez became mute for six months from the feast of St. Scholastica to the feast of St. Clare. During this time she began to experience moments of

ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...

and rapture that led her to become a preacher. According to her biographer Sor María Evangelista, Sor Juana told her that “when the Lord made her mute, he first spoke to her in spirit and told her: ‘Keep my secret and do not speak, because I will speak instead’. With this, His Majesty made her understand that he himself, because of her humility, with love that he has of souls, wanted to speak to them and reveal secrets and great wonders (to them)…” (Vita y fin… c. VI, 1-3). Vázquez' silent ecstasies lasted from 1506-1508, after which she began to have auditory ecstasies and visions. During an ecstasy in 1507, she experienced her betrothal to

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

with the Virgin Mary acting as Matron of honor (madrina) and giving her Son the ring for his bride. During another ecstasy in 1508 she received the

stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

which stayed with her from

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

to the Solemnity of the Ascension. Vázquez' ecstasies and visions became the source of not only her preaching but her working of miracles and cures with the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross (), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging ...

. Besides preaching and miracles, she also spoke in tongues, specifically

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and

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Works about her

Sister María Evangelista, a companion of Vázquez, began to transcribe her sermons in 1509 at the command of Cardinal Cisneros. At the same time she began to write her life story in a book that would eventually be called ''Comienza la Vida y Fin de la bienaventurada virgen Sancta Juana de la Cruz''. The 137 page manuscript of this 16th century text is kept in the Real Biblioteca Escorial (Sign K-III-13). She collected 72 of Sor Juana's sermons into a manuscript called ''El Libro del Conhorte'' (Mss.454) which can be translated as "The Exhortation" or "The Consolation". It too is kept in the Real Biblioteca Escorial (Sign J-II-18). Franciscan preacher and scholar Francisco de Torres added ''glosa'' (sidenotes) to ''El Conhorte'' from 1567-1568. His ''glosa'' are interesting in his apologetic defense of Vázquez' authority and teaching. He uses her sermons as a polemical tool against the social abuses of his day and how he reveals the story of his own life in the glosa. According to Innocente Gárcia Andrés Francisco's glosa highlight several things about Sor Juana. * She was a simple, ignorant (''idiota'') woman who was "most wise", "educated by God" and "ingenious and most spiritual author" (17,6; 24,9; 12,3, etc.). * She was an orthodox and most catholic prophet. As a prophet she proclaimed conformity to the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and preached against heretical movements and persons. Fray Francisco called her "a most wise sink hammer against heretics" (8.2). * She was an efficient, simple and heartfelt preacher. He especially saw her as a Franciscan preacher who conforms to the teachings of St. Francis and spiritual Franciscans (28,3). * She was a "vernacular" theologian, "the simple and ignorant daughter of the simple and ignorant Francis"(14,14). He especially valued her message of love as the experience and knowledge of God that implies love of neighbor. * She was a teacher of life and doctrine. Francisco declared her to be his teacher and he marvels at how the Holy Spirit speaks to the reader through her (24,7). The first official chronicler of the Franciscans in Spain, Fray Antonio Daça, wrote the earliest printed ''Life of Santa Juana de la Cruz'' in 1610. It was reprinted some 30 times in Madrid, Saragossa, Valladoilid, Treviri, Pavía, lérida, Paris, Florence, Modena, Leon, Naples, and Monaco. Its final reprint was in Venice in 1646. Fray Antonio is also known for having published ''Cuarta parte de las crónicas de la orden de San Francisco'' (The Fourth part of the Chronicles of the Order of St. Francis); and ''Historia de las llagas de San Francisco'' (Story of the Stigmats of St. Francis). Other early works on the life of Vázquez include * Fray Juan Carillo, ''Vida y milagros de la Venerable virgen Sor Juana de la Cruz'', Saragossa 1623, Mexico 1684. * Fray Pedro Navarro, ''Favores del Rey del cielo, hechos a su esposa la santa Juana de la Cruz'', Madrid 1622, 1699. * Fray Juan g. de San Diego Villalón, ''Epitome de la vida de Sor Juana de la Cruz'', Saragossa 1663. Vázquez remained forgotten in the literary world from 1663 to 1986 when the journal ''Nueva Revista de Filogia Hispana'' (vol.33) published an article about her entitled "La M. Juana de la Cruz y la cuestión de la autoridad religiosa femenina" (483-490).

Contemporary bibliography

Juana de la Cruz. ''El Conhorte: Sermones de una mujer''. La Santa Juana (1481-1534). Edited by García de Andrés. 2 vols. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española, 1999. Juana de la Cruz. ''Mother Juana de la Cruz, 1481–1534: Visionary Sermons''. Translated by Ronald E. Surtz and Nora Weinerth. Edited by Jessica A. Boon and Ronald E. Surtz. Toronto, Tempe, AZ: Iter Academic Press, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2016. * * María Victoria Triviño, OSC., "La Santa Juana grande y legitima Maestra Franciscana", in ''Las Clarisas en España y Portugal. Congreso Internacional de Santa Clara'', Salamanca 1993. * Ángela Muñoz, "Sor Juana de la Cruz. Imágenes de divinidad para las mujeres" in ''Acciones e intenciones de mujeres, en la vida religiosa de los siglos XV y XVI'', Madrid 1995, 179-191. * Innocente G. de Andrés, ''El Conhorte. Sermones de una muijer. La Santa Juana (1481-1534)'' I y II, Madrid, F.U.E. 1999. * María Isabel Barbeito, "Y contó maravillas", in ''Giornate di Studio'', Cubas de la Sagra, Maggio 1999, 67-79. * María Victoria Triviño, OSC.,"Fiestas del cielo, juegos y danzas en la predicación de Juana de la Cruz", in ''Giornate di Studio'', Cubas de la Sagra, Maggio 1999, 89-109. * María Victoria Triviño, OSC., "Santa María Sacerdote Grande. Sermón 5: De la Purificación de Nuestra Señora" in ''Giornate di Studio'', Cubas de la Sagra, Maggio 1999, 39-69. * María Victoria Triviño, OSC., ''Mujer, predicatora y párroco. La santa Juana (1481-1534)'', Madrid, BAC (Biografias) 1999, * María Victoria Triviño, OSC., "El arte al servicio de la predicación, La Santa Juana (1481-1534) Franciscana de la TOR" in ''La clausura feminina en España: Atti del Simposio'' I, El Escorial, Instituto Escurialense de Investigaciones Históricas y 2004, * Jesús Gomez Lopez. "Juana de la Cruz (1481-1534). La Santa Juana. Vida, obra, santidad y causa" in ''La clausura feminina en España: Atti del Simposio'' I, El Escorial, Instituto Escurialense de Investigaciones Históricas y 2004, 1223-1250. * María del mar Graña Cid, "la feminidad de Jesucristo y sus implicaciones eclesiales en la predicación mistica de Juana de la Cruz (Sobre la Prereforma y la Querella de las Mujeres in Castilla)" in ''Estudios Eclesiásticos'', 84 (2009) 477-513. * Triviño, "Sor Juana de la Cruz. La Santa Juana (1481-1534)", in ''Misitici Francescani: Secolo XVI'' IV edited by Gianluigi Pasquale, Milano, Editrici Francescane 2010, 2223-2233. * Jessica A. Boon, "Mother Juana de la Cruz: Marian Visions and Female Preaching", in ''A New Companion to Hispanic Mysticism'' edited by Hilaire Kallendorf and Colin Thompson Boston, Brill 2010, 127-148.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez Gutierrez, Juana de la Cruz 1481 births 1534 deaths 15th-century Christian mystics 16th-century Christian mystics People from the Province of Toledo 16th-century Spanish nuns Third Order Regular Franciscans People from the Community of Madrid Franciscan mystics Stigmatics Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Angelic visionaries Marian visionaries 15th-century venerated Christians 16th-century venerated Christians Women mystics