Maria of Agreda : Mystical Lady in Blue

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the kingdom, her church, and the New World; Spanish Hapsburg king Felipe IV sought her spiritual and political counsel for over twenty-two years. Based upon her transcendent visionary experiences, Sor MarA-a chronicled the life of Mary, mother of Jesus of Nazareth, in "Mystical City of God," a work the Spanish Inquisition temporarily condemned. In America, reports emerged that she had miraculously appeared to Jumano Native Americans--a feat corroborated by witnesses in Spain, Texas, and New Mexico, where she is honored today as the legendary "Lady in Blue." Lauded in Spain as one of the most influential women in its history, and in the United States as an inspiring pioneer, Sor MarAA-a's story will appeal to cultural historians and to women who have struggled for equality against all odds. Marilyn Fedewa's biography of this fascinating woman integrates voluminous autobiographical, historical, and literary sources published by and about MarA-a of Agreda. With liberal access to Sor MarA-a's papal delegate in Spain and convent archives in Agreda, Fedewa skillfully reconstructs a historical and spiritual backdrop against which Sor MarA-a's voice may be heard.