Beatrix da Silva
Encyclopedia
Beatrice Menezes da Silva, O.I.C.
(sometimes called "Brites") , (Ceuta
, Kingdom of Portugal
, ca. 1424 – Toledo, Spain
, August 9, 1492) was a noblewoman
of Portugal, who became a nun
and was the foundress of the monastic Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady
. She is honored as a saint
of the Roman Catholic Church
.
She was one of the eleven children of Rui Gomes da Silva, the first Magistrate
of Campo Maior
, located on the border of Spain and Portugal, and of Isabel de Menezes, an illegitimate daughter of Dom
Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
and 2nd Count of Viana do Alentejo, in whose army her father was serving at the time of her birth. She was born in Ceuta
, located in North Africa
, during her father's time of service in controlling the newly-conquered city. One of her brothers was the Blessed Amadeus of Portugal, O.F.M., a noted reformer of the Order of Friars Minor.
Beatrice was raised in the castle of Infante John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz. In 1447 Beatrice accompanied his daugher, Princess Isabel of Portugal, to Spain
as her lady-in-waiting
when Isabel left to marry King John II of Castile
and became Queen of Castile and León. Beatrice was her good and close friend, (and later was to receive her support when she founded the Conceptionists
). Soon, however, her great beauty began to arouse the jealousy of the Queen, who had her imprisoned in a tiny cell. During this incarceration
, Beatrice experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
, in which she was instructed to found a new Order in Mary's honor.
Beatrice finally escaped her imprisonment with difficulty and took refuge in the Dominican
Second Order monastery of nuns in Toledo. Here she led a life of holiness for forty years, without becoming a member of that Order. In 1484 Beatrice, with some companions, took possession of a monastery in Toledo (still the motherhouse
of the Order) set apart for them by Queen Isabel for the new Order, which was to be dedicated to honor the Immaculate Conception
of Mary.
In 1489, by permission of Pope Innocent VIII
, the nuns adopted the Cistercian Rule, bound themselves to the daily recitation of the Office
of the Immaculate Conception
, and were placed under obedience to the Ordinary
of the archdiocese. In 1501, Pope Alexander VI
united this community with the Benedictine community of San Pedro de las Duenas, and put them all under the Rule of St. Clare. Pope Julius II gave the new religious Order a Rule of its own in 1511, and in 1616 special Constitutions were drawn up for the Order by Cardinal Francis Quiñones
.
A second monastery was founded in 1507 at Torrigo, from which, in turn, were established seven others. The Order soon spread through Portugal
, Spain
, Italy
, and France
, as well as in Brazil
, then Portugal's colony in South America
. (This foundation was later to separate from the monastic Order, and became Missionary Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis
. The foundress determined on the habit, which was white, with a white scapular
and blue mantle
.
Beatrice Menezes da Silva was canonized by Pope Paul VI
in 1976. Her feast day is celebrated on 1 September, observed both by the Conceptionist nuns and the Franciscan Order.
Conceptionists
The Order of the Immaculate Conception , also known as the Conceptionists, are a contemplative Order of nuns. For five hundred years, they followed the Poor Clare Rule, but were recognized as a separate Order, ....
(sometimes called "Brites") , (Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
, ca. 1424 – Toledo, Spain
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, August 9, 1492) was a noblewoman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
of Portugal, who became a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and was the foundress of the monastic Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady
Conceptionists
The Order of the Immaculate Conception , also known as the Conceptionists, are a contemplative Order of nuns. For five hundred years, they followed the Poor Clare Rule, but were recognized as a separate Order, ....
. She is honored as a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
She was one of the eleven children of Rui Gomes da Silva, the first Magistrate
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Campo Maior
Campo Maior
Campo Maior , is a municipality in the Portalegre District, Alentejo Region, Portugal.The municipality has an area of 247,26 km² and a population of 8359 . It is divided into 3 parishes . It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by Elvas Municipality on the Southeast, and by Arronches...
, located on the border of Spain and Portugal, and of Isabel de Menezes, an illegitimate daughter of Dom
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real
Dom Pedro de Menezes Portocarrero, was a 15th C. Portuguese nobleman and military figure. Pedro de Menezes was the 2nd Count of Viana do Alentejo, 1st. Count of Vila Real and the first Portuguese governor of Ceuta.Pedro de Menezes was the son of the powerful 14th C...
and 2nd Count of Viana do Alentejo, in whose army her father was serving at the time of her birth. She was born in Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, located in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, during her father's time of service in controlling the newly-conquered city. One of her brothers was the Blessed Amadeus of Portugal, O.F.M., a noted reformer of the Order of Friars Minor.
Beatrice was raised in the castle of Infante John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz. In 1447 Beatrice accompanied his daugher, Princess Isabel of Portugal, to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as her lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
when Isabel left to marry King John II of Castile
John II of Castile
John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of...
and became Queen of Castile and León. Beatrice was her good and close friend, (and later was to receive her support when she founded the Conceptionists
Conceptionists
The Order of the Immaculate Conception , also known as the Conceptionists, are a contemplative Order of nuns. For five hundred years, they followed the Poor Clare Rule, but were recognized as a separate Order, ....
). Soon, however, her great beauty began to arouse the jealousy of the Queen, who had her imprisoned in a tiny cell. During this incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
, Beatrice experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honour as Mother of God...
, in which she was instructed to found a new Order in Mary's honor.
Beatrice finally escaped her imprisonment with difficulty and took refuge in the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
Second Order monastery of nuns in Toledo. Here she led a life of holiness for forty years, without becoming a member of that Order. In 1484 Beatrice, with some companions, took possession of a monastery in Toledo (still the motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
of the Order) set apart for them by Queen Isabel for the new Order, which was to be dedicated to honor the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
of Mary.
In 1489, by permission of Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death.-Early years:Giovanni Battista Cybo was born at Genoa of Greek extraction...
, the nuns adopted the Cistercian Rule, bound themselves to the daily recitation of the Office
Canonical hours
Canonical hours are divisions of time which serve as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers....
of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
, and were placed under obedience to the Ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the archdiocese. In 1501, Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
united this community with the Benedictine community of San Pedro de las Duenas, and put them all under the Rule of St. Clare. Pope Julius II gave the new religious Order a Rule of its own in 1511, and in 1616 special Constitutions were drawn up for the Order by Cardinal Francis Quiñones
Francis Quiñones
Francisco de Quiñones was a Spanish cardinal who was responsible for some reforms in the church.-Biography:...
.
A second monastery was founded in 1507 at Torrigo, from which, in turn, were established seven others. The Order soon spread through Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, then Portugal's colony in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. (This foundation was later to separate from the monastic Order, and became Missionary Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
. The foundress determined on the habit, which was white, with a white scapular
Scapular
The term scapular as used today refers to two specific, yet related, Christian Sacramentals, namely the monastic and devotional scapulars, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular"....
and blue mantle
Mantle (clothing)
A mantle is a type of loose garment usually worn over indoor clothing to serve the same purpose as an overcoat...
.
Beatrice Menezes da Silva was canonized by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
in 1976. Her feast day is celebrated on 1 September, observed both by the Conceptionist nuns and the Franciscan Order.
See also
- Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady (Conceptionists)ConceptionistsThe Order of the Immaculate Conception , also known as the Conceptionists, are a contemplative Order of nuns. For five hundred years, they followed the Poor Clare Rule, but were recognized as a separate Order, ....
- Congregation of the Immaculate ConceptionCongregation of the Immaculate Conception-Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady :Founded in 1484 at Toledo, Spain, by Saint Beatrice of Silva, sister of Blessed Amadeus of Portugal...