The convent where Catalina was held prisoner is now a museum. Of course in the deeply conservative Spanish society of the time, such a thing was unthinkable. Her father was an officer in the Spanish army, and from an early age Catalina wanted nothing more than to also be a soldier. The convent was in the town of Donostia (also known as San Sebastian), in the Basque district of Spain. Her aunt was the prioress of the convent, and Catalina’s two sisters were also sent there – not unusual for educating the children of the well-off. Since she was enrolled in a convent as a four year old, it seems unlikely she wasn’t baptised until she was seven. Her autobiography says that she was born in 1585, but records of her baptism give a date of 1592. When this particular legend was born is actually where the confusion starts, as it happens. So fact becomes impossible to distinguish from fiction, and legends are born. But partially this is because Catalina’s real exploits were so outrageous that people found it difficult to credit them, even though they actually happened. Partially this is because our main source is her “ autobiography”, which reads like an adventure novel and probably was one. The details of her life, however, are much harder to pin down. Catalina de Erauso was a real person, that much we can verify.
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