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310:; the management and construction advanced rapidly. Perhaps James II sensed his death and wanted the mystical enthusiasm of his wife to become a reality as soon as possible. After a year the basic structure of the monastery was done: they could use the cloister, and the church and housing for the nuns were almost finished as well. On 3 May 1327 fourteen nuns entered the monastery and they elected the first abbess, Sobirana d’Olzet.
212:, he hurried to contract a new marriage. Just a month after the death of the unhappy queen, he went to obtain a dispensation of consanguinity in the third or fourth grade to arrange new nuptials. The king did not indicate the name of the chosen, but it was Elisenda of Montcada. The monarch seemed very animated with the idea and openly hastened the proceedings that were taken.
324:, the managing body of the city, which was committed to defend the monastery in the event of danger. It was also her intention was to have Pedralbes be the most favored monastery so it would not face economic difficulty after she died, quite common in the female monasteries. During these years royal donations nearly drowned the Franciscan spirit of the convent life.
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In a will which he wrote just a few months before his death, the king ratified, among other things, donations on income made to his wife. In addition he left her the gold crown that he had purchased at the time of the wedding and many other jewels, fine fabrics and tablecloths and dishes crafted with
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Jesus Ernest
Martinez Ferrando wrote: "Elisenda, for her feminine qualities, for her exquisite religiosity, was the best sedative that the monarch could find in the bitterness of his last years; dialogue with the devoted wife sweetened their hours of spiritual and physical ordeal; it can be said that
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and led a relatively quiet life. She intervened in the affairs of state, giving advice as the other queens had done. The queen was described as mature, educated, beautiful, and very pious, and the day to day at the royal court as cordial, despite the rigidity and severity of James himself. From 1324,
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that artistically represents the double life of this woman. The bifrontal tomb is located along a wall that separates the church from the cloister, with unique presentations on each side. From the church, Elisenda is portrayed as a queen wearing her crown, and from the cloister she is dressed as an
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The new queen chose
Barcelona and its Palau Reial Major as her usual residence, even though Tortosa was in the midst of her dowry and its castle was the residence of her predecessors, the queens Blanca of Anjou and Maria of Cyprus, for extended periods. Because they had no children and the king soon
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Elisenda's will was issued on 11 April 1364 and she died on 19 July of that year. She bequeathed everything to the monastery as her primary heir, except for some goods destined for institutions, relatives, or acquaintances. She requested that they raze the palace where she lived, which was done
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Elisenda was widowed in
November 1327. She ordered a small palace to be built next to, but completely separate from, the monastery. She lived there for the remaining 37 years of her life. Although she was never a nun, Elisenda was endowed with broad powers over the internal workings of the
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monastery. She participated actively in the decision making of the religious community and put special emphasis on obtaining several privileges for the monastery. For example, it was under the direct protection of the city of
Barcelona through the
291:, a monastery of Poor Clares founded by Blanca of Anjou, his second wife. He only placed one condition – that the monastery was to be erected in honor of the mother of God. At first it was designated to be located at the site of Valldaura, between
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The year of death for Maria of Cyprus (Marie of
Lusignan) varies in references from 1319 to 1322; as a result the interval before James II's marriage to Elisenda ranges from 3 years to just a few months.
184:. She belonged to the lineage of Montcada, one of the most noble families of Catalonia, close with the monarchy. Elisenda had three brothers: Ot, heir to Aitona and a godfather of the future
335:, were contracted to beautify the monastery. Elisenda also promoted the paintings in the chapel of St. Michael, which were ordered by the abbess Francesca Saportella, her niece.
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Elisenda helped James II to die well. As death approached - as observed in the mentioned biography – it was established between the two spouses 'a mutual religious delight'".
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immediately. The inventory that was made of her room demonstrates the simplicity in which she lived, despite the jewels and fine fabrics that she gifted.
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152:. She served as Regent or "Queen-Lieutenant" of Aragon during the absence of her spouse from 1324 until 1327. She and James II founded the
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Although she stayed at the monastery, she did participate in some official regnal events, such as the transfer of the remains of
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around
Barcelona. Once she expressed this desire, the king hurried to please her, even though there was already Vilafranca del
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she acted as regent during his absence from Aragon. The marriage lasted for five years before James died in
November 1327.
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The
Monastery of Pedralbes is Elisenda's most significant legacy. It is a national monument, and is open to the public.
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160:. After James II's death in 1327, Elisenda lived adjacent to the monastery for the remaining 37 years of her life.
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became ill, Elisenda devoted her life to her religious practices and the exercise of charity.
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Elisenda managed the construction of the buildings and their ornamentation. Painters, like
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Elisenda eventually became interested in the foundation of a monastery of the Order of the
148:(c. 1292 – 19 June 1364) was queen consort of Aragon as the fourth and last spouse of
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Elisenda de
Montcada was believed to have been born in Aitona, the daughter of
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Elisenda's portrait is part of the
Gallery of Illustrious Catalans at the
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Passeig de Reina Elisenda de Montcada is a street named after her in the
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due to the amount of white stone extracted from an existing quarry.
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on 25 December 1322. The king endowed the bride with income from
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463:"Elisenda de Montcada i el monestir de Pedralbes- Sapiens.cat"
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Pere II Ramon of Montcada, Lord of Aitona and Soses
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450:http://www.enciclopedia.cat/EC-GEC-0043623.xml
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178:Pere II Ramon Montcada i d’Abarca
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16:Queen consort of Aragon
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379:austere widow or nun.
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308:monastery in Pedralbes
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154:Monastery of Pedralbes
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69:Monastery of Pedralbes
777:Isabella I of Castile
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360:James III of Mallorca
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846:14th-century regents
800:Isabella of Portugal
704:Elisenda of Montcada
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597:Ermesinda of Bigorre
258:They settled in the
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22:Elisenda of Montcada
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719:Eleanor of Portugal
689:Isabella of Castile
684:Constance of Sicily
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679:Violant of Hungary
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66:19 July 1364
826:1364 deaths
821:1292 births
285:Poor Clares
158:Poor Clares
815:Categories
527:1322–1327
490:circa 1292
437:References
358:, wife of
350:, wife of
293:Cerdanyola
249:Mequinensa
164:Early life
301:Pedralbes
264:Barcelona
217:Tarragona
188:; GastĂł,
46:1322–1327
331:and the
297:Montcada
225:Burriana
409:of the
342:to the
289:Penedès
233:Morella
229:Tortosa
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622:Bertha
581:Aragon
531:Vacant
509:Vacant
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399:SarriĂ
383:Legacy
354:, and
239:, and
194:Girona
134:Mother
124:Father
87:Spouse
75:Burial
43:Tenure
602:Agnes
495:Died:
488:Born:
417:Notes
245:Seròs
221:Berga
113:House
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295:and
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241:Pals
63:Died
58:1292
55:Born
579:of
407:L12
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