Venerable Mary of Jesus of Ágreda
Spanish abbess, adviser to Philip IV and author of the Mystical City of God
- Rank
- Venerable
- Kind
- Mystic, Religious, Virgin
- Life
- 1602 – 1665
- Era
- 17th century
- Countries
- Spain
Life story
María Coronel y de Arana was born on 2 April 1602 in Ágreda, in the province of Soria, one of eleven children of whom four reached adulthood. In 1618 her father entered a Franciscan friary as a lay brother, while she, her mother and her sister turned the family home into a convent of the Immaculate Conception (the Conceptionist order). She and her mother entered in January 1619, and she made her profession in 1620. After her mother's death the nuns elected her abbess at the age of 25, and she effectively led the convent until her death apart from a three-year break.
She left several writings, the best known being the Mística Ciudad de Dios, which presents what she regarded as revelations about the life of the Virgin Mary. She also corresponded with King Philip IV for more than twenty-two years, including on political matters; some biographies count over six hundred letters. According to tradition she was transported in spirit to the Jumano people of New Spain (today's Texas and New Mexico) between 1620 and 1623 while her body stayed in Ágreda; the missionary Alonso de Benavides reported that the Jumano spoke of a Lady in Blue who told them to seek out the friars. The Inquisition looked into the matter but did not press it. This is a reported account, not an established fact.
She died in Ágreda on 24 May 1665. The Mística Ciudad de Dios was printed after her death; on 4 August 1681 the Holy Office banned it, though King Charles II had the decree suspended in Spain, and in 1748 Pope Benedict XIV asked for an inquiry into whether her confessors had altered the text. Older historical reference works judge her claimed revelations severely. Her cause was opened on 28 January 1673; she is Venerable and has not been beatified.
Works and witness
- Turned her family home into a Conceptionist convent and entered it in 1619
- Elected abbess at 25 and led the community for most of her life
- Corresponded with King Philip IV for over twenty years
- Wrote the Mística Ciudad de Dios, banned in 1681 and debated for centuries
- By tradition, reported to have been present in spirit among the Jumano of North America
Saints from the same country
References
- Artola, A., 'La venerable Madre Ágreda: un drama con desenlace retardado', Annales Theologici (riviste.upra.org) - history of the cause and the Mística Ciudad de Dios
- Hozana: 'Marie d'Agreda: Life, Visions, and Writings' (date of death, Pentecost 24 May 1665)
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.