Isabella Roser was a sixteenth-century Catalan noblewoman of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

who helped

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

and sponsored him, when, on returning from Jerusalem, the 30-year-old

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

wished to start anew his schooling. She later demanded membership of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

for herself and two female companions. Although this was initially granted it was rescinded and the order has remained open only to males ever since.

Life

Isabella Roser was born into the powerful noble Ferrer family of Catalonia. She married the wealthy Barcelona merchant Juan Roser. In the early 1520s Isabella noticed

while listening to a sermon in the church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona, and was struck by his grave and modest demeanor. She invited him to her home for dinner.Young, William John (1959). ''Letters of St. Ignatius of Loyola'' Roser became part of a group of wealthy female sponsors of Loyola. Other notable members were Inez Pacual and Isabel de Josa. The group was nicknamed the "Inigas". Fülöp-Miller, René (1997). ''Power and Secret of the Jesuits'' In 1543, Isabella, who had been widowed in 1541, along with two female companions, her lady-in-waiting Francisca Cruyllas, and her friend Lucrezia di Bradine, arrived in Rome and obtained from

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

to be placed 'under the obedience' of Ignatius. They helped to finance and administer St Martha's, a rehabilitation center for reformed prostitutes. On Christmas Day 1545, in Rome, the three women professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Isabella also bequeathed her entire estate to the Society, although Ignatius attempted to refuse it.Powers, Tom (2000). "18. There Were Women Jesuits"Hendrix, Scott H.; Karant-Nunn, Susan C. (2008). ''Masculinity in the Reformation Era'' Rumors began to circulate that Ignatius had robbed Isabella of her fortune. This dispute went to court, which decided against Isabel. She and her companions were dismissed from the Society on 1 October 1546. In 1547, Ignatius successfully petitioned the Pope to have the

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

freed for ever from accepting 'nuns or women living in community' under spiritual obedience.Document ''De foeminis in Societatem non admittendis'' approved by Paul III on 19 May 1547 Biographers of Saint Ignatius have called this the "affaire Roser".''Dinner Party Database of Notable Women''. Brooklyn Museum. Isabella returned to Barcelona and continued live a pious life. Eventually she entered a Franciscan convent in Jerusalem where she lived until her death.

Conflation with Isabel de Josa

Since around the nineteenth century, some historians have confused the life of Isabella Roser with that of her contemporary and fellow supporter of Loyola, the scholar Isabel de Josa.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roser, Isabella 16th-century Spanish women Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Former Jesuits Catalan nobility Catalan women 16th-century Spanish people