A Pioneer Translator of Royal Lineage and German Descent: Sister Constanza de Castilla (XV century)
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Abstract
The purpose of this article is to shed light on Sister Constanza de Castilla (XV century), one of first translators of the Spanish language. This Dominican nun is an example of how women in the era could access a higher level of culture by beginning as writers and translators within the monastic life and in the heart of the aristocracy. Sister Constanza de Castilla, of Royal lineage and German descent, was an influential and powerful prioress that, at the heart of the convent, not only composed prayers and works of devotion but also compiled many texts. Above all else, this study highlights her role as a translator. In this investigation we analyze her Book of Devotion, a work that is conserved in the National Library of Madrid and that was utilized for prayer and song at the services for the nuns in her convent. This religious text combines teachings and doctrine in its book of prayer, the two axes of charisma of the Order of Preachers, the religious order which it belongs to. In a life dedicated to prayer within the cloister, the translations, an essential part of the manuscript, became a central aspect to the daily aspect of the community.
Keywords: Monastery translations, Religious translator, Dominican translator, Dominican Order, Preachers Order, Sister Constanza de Castilla.
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