Jerónima de la Asunción
Jerónima de la Asunción, O.S.C. (Spanish: Jerónima de la Asunción García Yánez y De La Fuente; 9 May 1555 – 22 October 1630) was a Spanish Catholic nun and abbess who founded the Real Monasterio de Santa Clara (Royal Monastery of Saint Clare) in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines.
Jerónima de la Asunción
22 October 1630 (aged 75)
Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines
For her efforts in establishing the first Catholic monastery in Manila and the Far East, the Vatican issued an apostolic decree for her beatification in 1734. This monastery was immortalized in the novel Noli Me Tángere, penned by the national hero, José Rizal.[1][2]
Canonisation process[edit]
Although not born in the Philippines, Jerónima became a religious inspiration for many Catholic devotees. She was described as a woman of resolute character in managing political and religious conflicts both within and outside the confines of her monastery. Steps towards her canonisation began in 1630,[1] but to date, they have not proceeded.
Jerónima dictated her Life to Sister Ana de Cristo, one of the sisters who participated with her in the foundation. These notes were partially collected in the biography dedicated to her by her confessor, Fray Ginés de Quesada, martyred in Japan in 1636, whose manuscript, dated 1634, remained unpublished until 1717 when it was issued in connection with efforts to promote her beatification.