Sor Patrocinio

Biography

María Rafaela de los Dolores y del Patrocinio, more commonly known as Sor Patrocinio ("Sister Protection", of Mary), also known as "the nun of the wounds" (San Clemente, Cuenca, 1811 – Guadalajara, 1891), was a Spanish nun of the Order of the Immaculate Conception. She was prominent in the Spanish social and political spheres in the second half of the 19th century through her influence over Queen Isabel II and the queen's husband, King Francisco de Asís de Borbón.

Patrocinio's reported mystical experiences and supernatural phenomena have been a source of controversy, at the time and later. She was instrumental in the founding or reform of many monasteries of the Order in both Spain and France. The cause for her beatification is currently being studied by the Holy See.