Jerónima de la Asunción

Jerónima de la Asunción, O.S.C. (; 9 May 1555 – 22 October 1630) was a Spanish Catholic nun and abbess who founded the Real Monasterio de Santa Clara (Royal Monastery of Saint Clare) in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines.

For her efforts in establishing the first Catholic monastery in Manila and the Far East, the Vatican issued an apostolic decree for her beatification in 1734. This monastery was immortalized in the novel Noli Me Tángere, penned by the national hero, José Rizal.

Biography Jerónima was born in Toledo, Spain to Pedro García e Yáñez and Catalina de la Fuente of Toledo, who were pious, prosperous and of the lower nobility. Jerónima spent her childhood in Toledo, where she learned the basics of Christian life very early on. She grew up on the Calle de lod Letrados, next to the Church of San Marcos.

The first Japanese novice was Sor Lucia de San Juan.

The painting is described as conveying the then-sixty-six-year-old nun's "devoutness and strength of character through her stern expression and rugged countenance; her direct, outward gaze at the beholder; and her expressive accoutrements". Jerónima is depicted wearing her dark religious habit while holding a book and a crucifix.

The inscriptions on the painting read "It is good to await the salvation of God in silence" (top), while the banderole that flows from her mouth reads "I shall be satisfied as long as He is glorified".

Canonisation process Although not born in the Philippines, Jerónima became a religious inspiration for many Catholic devotees. She was described as a woman of resolute character in managing political and religious conflicts both within and outside the confines of her monastery. Steps towards her canonisation began in 1630, but to date, they have not proceeded.

Jerónima dictated her Life to Sister Ana de Cristo, one of the sisters who participated with her in the foundation. These notes were partially collected in the biography dedicated to her by her confessor, Fray Ginés de Quesada, martyred in Japan in 1636, whose manuscript, dated 1634, remained unpublished until 1717 when it was issued in connection with efforts to promote her beatification.