María Pascuala Caro Sureda (7 July 1768 – 12 December 1827), was the second woman

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in Spain. She was born to the marqués de La Romana, Pere Caro Fontes, and Margalida Sureda de Togores. She was given a high education and taught

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, which was not usual for women, and her mother arranged for all her children to be given a formal education. She was allowed to study at the

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ), shortened to UV, is a public research university in Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Valencian Community. It is regarded as one of Spain's leading academic i ...

, which was highly unusual for a woman, and was even allowed to graduate: she became a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Valencia in 1779, as the second of her sex in Spain, and published her work in

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and

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, ''Ensayo de Historia, Física y Matemáticas'', in 1781. She is described as simple, humble and beautiful. In 1789, she entered the Santa Catalina de Siena Dominican convent in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

, where she became prioress. During her life in the convent, she became known for her religious mystic poems.

References

*
Diccionari Biogràfic de Dones: Maria Pascuala Caro Sureda
' * Canut, M.L., Llabrés, J. Manresa, M.A., Masferrer, M., Pascual, A., Torres, M., Tur, C., Tur, F. (1999). Dones i Èpoques. Aproximació històrica al món de la dona a les Illes Balear. Palma de Mallorca: La Foradada. * Gran Enciclopedia de Mallorca. Vol.3. (Mallorca). Promomallorca Edicions. 1768 births 1827 deaths 18th-century Spanish writers 19th-century Spanish writers 19th-century Spanish nuns 18th-century Spanish women writers 19th-century Spanish women writers People from Palma de Mallorca University of Valencia alumni 18th-century Spanish nuns {{Spain-writer-stub

See also

References