Sister Maria Pilar Bruguera Sábat (

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

, 1906 –

Vic Vic, vic or VIC may refer to: People and fictional characters * Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name * V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper Places * Vic, Spain, a town and ...

, 1994) was a Spanish Catalan

Roman Catholic nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of Evangelical counsels, poverty, chastity, and obedience in the Enclosed religious orders, enclosure of a monastery or convent.' ...

and physician. Even after she graduated from the faculty of medicine of the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

in 1934, she continued her religious career as a

Sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

of the Carmelite Charity. She exercised her profession mainly in the

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 ...

, ''Monestir de Carmelites Descalces de

Terrassa Terrassa () is a city in central-eastern Catalonia and in the province of Barcelona (Spain). It is one of the two capitals of Vallès Occidental county, being the larger in both area and population. The name ''Terrassa'' derives from Latin ''Te ...

''. Pilar was the youngest of six siblings, all girls, among whom there were two doctors (the other being Carme Bruguera Sala) and three teachers.

Biography

Pilar was the sixth daughter of attorney Martí Bruguera Sastre, originally from

Regencós Regencós () is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catal ...

and Teobalda Sàbat, born in

Torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of ...

Baix Empordà Baix Empordà (; ; "Lower Empordà") is a comarca (county) in the Girona region, Catalonia, in Spain. It is one of the two comarques into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal division of 1936, the other one being Alt Empordà. It is popula ...

. The family lived on the second floor of Carrer Progrés, number 21, in Girona. The marriage had six daughters: Joaquima, M. Assumption, Teresa, Maria del Carme, Mercè, and Pilar. Assumption, Pilar, and Carme studied Teaching. Established in 1914, was the higher education most accessible to girls in Girona. Pilar did further studies at the Missioneres de l'Immaculat Cor de Maria in Girona, and later completed her Baccalaureate at the institute, located at the top of Calle de la Força in Girona, where she enrolled in 1926. She then enrolled at the faculty of medicine at the University of Barcelona, where she finished her degree in 1934. On January 12, 1935, she received her medical degree, although she did not join the (College of Doctors of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

) until 1947. In the membership card kept at the College of Doctors of Barcelona, she was listed as unmarried with an address at Carrer Vall, number 1 in Terrassa, which is the address of the Carmelite convent in the city. Her entry into the convent meant that she completed her training with teaching studies. She also earned her master's degree in 1952. Pilar maintained her association with the College of Doctors of Barcelona all her life but it is not recorded that she practiced the profession. It is possible that she did it as a doctor in the convent. In 1961, she was registered as a member and religious, and in 1979, when she was already 70 years old, she was honored with the title of honorary member of the College of Doctors of Barcelona. In 1980, she retired from practicing the profession, although she maintained her association until hher death. Sister Pilar Bruguera i Sábat died in Vic in 1994, when she was 85 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruguera Sabat, Maria Pilar 1906 births 1994 deaths People from Girona 20th-century Spanish nuns 20th-century Spanish physicians University of Barcelona alumni Spanish Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Carmelites Carmelite nuns