Juliana Josefa Benita Larena Fenollé (16 February 1790,

Ejea de los Caballeros Ejea de los Caballeros (; ), commonly known simply as Ejea, is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Zaragoza (province), Zaragoza, part of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is one of the five main towns i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

1835,

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, Spain) was a Spanish

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

involved in the Sieges of Zaragoza during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. Larena moved to Zaragoza, Spain at a young age, and was 18 years old when General Lefebvre initiated the French army's first siege on the city in 1808. During the first siege, she worked as a nurse, tending to the wounded on the front line. During the second siege a year later, Larena helped to defend the stronghold located at

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar () is a Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon. It is dedicated to the Mary, mother of Jesus, Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar, praised as "Mother of the His ...

, one of the most dangerous areas during the siege. On 30 September 1808, General Palafox awarded her the Shield of Distinction () for her bravery and provided her a pension, which King

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

confirmed on 25 October 1814. Larena died of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

in 1835, in Zaragoza. On the

centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of the first siege, a street in Zaragoza was renamed ''Calle Juliana Larena'' in her honor.

References

Spanish nurses Women in war in Spain 19th-century Spanish women Military history of Zaragoza People of the Peninsular War Female wartime nurses 1790 births 1835 deaths Deaths from cholera {{Spain-med-bio-stub