Born: October 1671, Colombia
Died: 7 August 1742
Country most active: Colombia
Also known as: Francisca Josefa de la Concepción del Castillo y Guevara
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
The first place is occupied by a religious writer whose name was Francisca Josefa de Castillo y Genevara. Mr. Menendez Pelayo, the great Spanish critic in his reception address at the Spanish Academia Espanola (Spanish Academy of Languages) on mystical poetry said the following in regard to this nun, “She wrote in prose, which was worthy of St. Therese a book entitled; Afectos Espirituales (Spiritual Affections) containing some verses not as good as the prose but belonging to the oldest School of Poetry, and at times, of the style of those of the Carmelite Saint.