The Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Inma Sanz, accompanied by the councilors of Centro, Carlos Segura; of Ciudad Lineal, Nadia Álvarez; of Carabanchel, Carlos Izquierdo, and of Arganzuela, Lola Navarro; together with the Association of Friends of María Ana de Jesús, inaugurated this afternoon, at the Parochial Church of Santiago and San Juan Bautista, a commemorative plaque to the blessed María Ana de Jesús (1565-1624) on the occasion of the IV centenary of her death. An event that concludes the activities for this anniversary.
«It is likely that many Madrileños still do not know that the blessed María Ana is the co-patroness of the city of Madrid —along with San Isidro—, but I dare to predict that her figure will gain recognition in the coming years for two reasons: due to the growing desire to know our roots and because the blessed represents wonderfully all that is Madrid,» expressed the Deputy Mayor.
Sanz highlighted that «something extraordinary is happening in Madrid: the city continues to grow, it is living its best moment, it has become a city that attracts the attention of the whole world and, at the same time, the desire of Madrileños to deepen and recover our traditions, our history, and our emblematic figures is increasingly visible. Among them, the blessed María Ana de Jesús.»
The blessed was a woman who dedicated her life to helping the neediest Madrileños in the Golden Age from her Little House of Mariana and who received the nickname ‘mother of the poor’. Furthermore, she was a free woman dedicated to her faith: she rejected an arranged marriage and, as a Mercedarian, devoted her life to redeeming captives who had been captured and taken abroad.
The stone plaque, with a carved relief of the bust of the blessed, depicted with the crown of thorns, one of the elements that identify her, «is more than just a testimony: it is a starting point for Madrileños to get to know a woman who represents what Madrid was, is, and will be forever,» concluded Sanz. /
