María Edwards de Errázuriz (née María Edwards McClure or María Errázuriz; 11 December 1893 – 8 June 1972) was a Chilean social worker and Catholic nurse who was honored in November 2005 at

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

memorial (the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority) as one of the "

Righteous Among The Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

," for her participation during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

in helping to save

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

children in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Her actions were not limited to saving Jews but she also actively helped the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

Life and career

María Edwards was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the daughter of

Agustín Edwards Ross Agustín Edwards Ross (February 17, 1852, Valparaíso – November 1, 1897) was a Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarct ...

and of María Luisa McClure Ossandón. While still quite young, she married Guillermo Errázuriz Vergara, and they moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he was to take up his diplomatic post. Errázuriz killed himself in 1922, leaving her a widow; they had one daughter together, María Angélica Errázuriz, who was born in England. After his death, she decided to remain in France. In 1926, she married her second husband, the French writer Jacques Feydeau, though they subsequently divorced soon afterwards. She was a lifelong devout Catholic. During the German occupation of Paris, she worked as a volunteer nurse at the Hôpital Rothschild. While working there, she joined the

, and helped, many times by risking her own life, to rescue Jewish children who had been separated from their parents and were sentenced to be sent to the concentration camps to be eliminated.''Entregarán condecoración a chilena que salvó a niños judíos en París''
''Reshet'' Magazine retrieved June 21, 2008 She was arrested, interrogated and tortured several times by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

, but was able to escape death thanks to her background and diplomatic relations. On 2 September 1953, María Edwards was awarded the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

for bravery in France. She returned to Chile permanently to retire from public life in 1960 and died there in 1972.

Additional information

Notes

External links

María Edwards
at

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards Mcclure, Maria 1893 births 1972 deaths M Chilean people of World War II Chilean Righteous Among the Nations Catholic Righteous Among the Nations Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Santiago, Chile 20th-century Chilean women Chilean Roman Catholics Chilean people of Welsh descent Chilean people of Scottish descent Women in World War II French Resistance members Female resistance members of World War II Female anti-fascists

Life and career

Additional information

See also

Notes

External links