Resumen de La religiosa y su confesor: epistolario de una clarisa mexicana, 1801-1802
ASUNCIÓN LAVRIN. – La religiosa y su confessor: epistolario de una clarisa mexicana, 1801- 1802 (455-478) This work reviews and analyzes the correspondence of Sor María Ignacia del Niño Jesús, a Franciscan nun in the convent of Santa Clara, Querétaro, Mexico, with her confessor Fr. Manuel Valls. Her letters were written between 1801 and 1802, possibly a few years before her death. Only her correspondence with the confessor has been saved. While we can discern the spiritual world of María Ignacia, there are only a few hints on the advice and personality of Fr. Manuel. She was a relatively well-read nun and possessed a strong affective spiritual life. Her letters reveal a complex visionary world visited by saints, apostles and angels, and presided over by the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. This epistolary collection reveals the centrality of Fr. Manuel Valls in María Ignacia’s life. She embraced the idea that Valls’ salvation and spiritual well-being were tied to hers and adopted a strong intermediary role between him and God. In fact, she understood that their souls were betrothed in the presence of Christ. Her letters offer a vast array of visions of heaven and a complex interaction with divine beings. The eloquence of the writing proves her ability for self-expression, a fact that historians and literary critics are taking seriously these days. Correspondence between nuns and their spiritual advisers are uncommon in Spanish America, where only a few examples of this genre have been so far discovered. The letters of María Ignacia del Niño Jesús enrich our understanding of the world of nuns in colonial Mexico.