Doña The terms Don (in Spanish and Italian), Dom (in Portuguese), and Domn (in Romanian), are honorific prefixes derived from the Latin ''Dominus'', meaning "lord" or "owner". The honorific is commonly used in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well ...

Sancha Alfonso of León ( – 25 July 1270) was a foundress of the Church of Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos, Olmos de Ojeda and a member of the

Castilian House of Ivrea The House of Burgundy, also known as the Castilian House of Ivrea, is a cadet branch of the House of Ivrea descended from Raymond of Burgundy. Raymond married Urraca of León, Urraca, the eldest legitimate daughter of Alfonso VI of León and Cast ...

as the illegitimate daughter of King

Alfonso IX of León Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salaman ...

and his mistress, Teresa Gil de Soverosa.

Biography

Sancha was born in 1220, she was the first-born daughter of

and his long-term mistress, Teresa Gil de Soverosa, a member of the Portuguese nobility. She married

Simón Ruiz de los Cameros Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, as arranged by

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

, furthermore, many historians however question and debate the authenticity of the document. In 1269, Sancha donated her assets to help fund the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

. On 21 February 1270, she professed as a

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 ...

at the Church of Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos, Olmos de Ojeda until her death on 25 July 1270. On 25 July 1720, Sancha Alfonso died at the Church of Saint Euphemia of Cozuelos. After her death, with the approval of

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

they began to begin the process necessary for beatification. Despite this, she has not yet been declared ' Blessed' and holds the title of

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 ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{commons 1220 births 1270 deaths Spanish venerated Catholics 13th-century Spanish women Daughters of kings Illegitimate children of Spanish monarchs Illegitimate children of kings