The Ones Who Stayed Behind : The Letters of Catalina de Cristo to Ana de San Bartolomé :

Abstract

The letters of Catalina de Cristo (Muñico), a close friend of Ana de San Bartolomé, provide insight into how nuns in Spain experienced their sisters’ forays into foreign lands—their anxiety and strategies for coping. They also provide some rare examples of two-way correspondence between nuns. Aware of the brutality of the wars in Flanders, Catalina became apprehensive when she didn’t hear from Ana. She began to see Ana as a martyr who, like earlier martyrs, would be rewarded for her sacrifices. Catalina saw herself as an intercessor between Ana and God, a vehicle through which God conveyed messages. As nuns routinely shared their letters, other nuns read Ana’s missives and often attached their own messages to Catalina’s.