Sancha Alfonso of León

Doña Sancha Alfonso of León OOS (c. 1220 – 25 July 1270) was a member of the Castilian House of Ivrea as the illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso IX of León and his mistress; Teresa Gil de Soverosa.

The Venerable Sancha Alfonso of León OOS
Commander of the Order of Santiago
Depiction of Sancha c. 17th-century
Personal details
Born	1220 Kingdom of León
Died	25 July 1270(1270-07-25) (aged 49–50) Church of Saint Euphemia of Cozuelos
Buried	Convento de Santa Fé
Denomination	Roman Catholicism
Sainthood
Feast day	26 July

Early life

Sancha was born in 1220, she was the first-born daughter of Alfonso IX of León and his long-term mistress; Teresa Gil de Soverosa, a member of the Portuguese nobility. She married Simón Ruiz de los Cameros, as arranged by Alfonso X of Castile, furthermore, many historians however question and debate the authenticity of the document.

In 1269, Sancha donated her assets to help fund the Order of Santiago. On 21 February 1270, she professed as a nun at the Church of Saint Euphemia of Cozuelos until her death on 25 July 1270.

On 25 July 1720, Sancha Alfonso died at the Church of Saint Euphemia of Cozuelos. After her death, with the approval of Philip III of Spain they began to begin the process necessary for beatification. Despite this, she has not yet been declared 'Blessed' and holds the title of venerable.

Bibiliography

• Calderón Medina, Inés (2011). "Las otras mujeres del rey: El concubinato regio en el reino de León (1157–1230)" (PDF). Seminário Medieval 2009–2011 (in Spanish). Coordinators:Ferreira, María do Rosário; Laranjinha, Ana Sofia; Ribeiro Miranda, José Carlos. Oporto: Instituto de Filosofía da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto. pp. 255–289. ISBN 9789898459145.
• Reinares Martinez, Ernesto (1990). Apuntes para la historia de San Román y su tierra en el Cameros Viejo [Notes for the history of San Román and his land in Cameros Viejo] (in Spanish). Berceo. ISSN 0210-8550.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)