Maria Afonso

Maria Afonso ( 1301 – 1320) was a Portuguese noblewoman and nun. The illegitimate daughter of King Denis, she was a nun at the Monastery of São Dinis de Odivelas, where she built an altar for Andrew the Apostle. She was murdered in 1320. The whereabouts of her remains have been subject to controversy. In 2022, she was portrayed in the Portuguese drama series A Rainha e a Bastarda, which was about her death and the subsequent investigation.

Biography Maria Afonso was the illegitimate daughter of Denis of Portugal. She was brought up in Odivelas, and is believed to have been born in 1301, based on a document dated that year that stated Denis granted her presumed mother, Branca Lourenço, the town of Mirandela "in exchange for her body".

She became a nun at the Monastery of São Dinis de Odivelas at an unknown date, During her time as nun, she helped build an altar for Andrew the Apostle.

Death and burial She died in 1320, and was buried at the Monastery at which she worked. She is believed to have been murdered in the Monastery, at around 20 years old. He was Maria's nephew.