Historical status: Queen Sancha of Castile (c. 1154/55–1208), consort of Alfonso II of Aragon, is remembered by the Hospitaller nuns for founding the monastery of Santa María de Sijena. Their account says she entered the community after she was widowed and wore the cross of the Order of Saint John. It calls her a Servant of God and records her commemoration on 9 November. The traditional epithet “Holy Queen” should not be mistaken for a declaration of canonization.
The Order of Malta describes the early convents of its female branch and the sisters’ work caring for female pilgrims and patients. The dates and development of individual houses require careful reading of the historical sources.
Sources: Comendadoras de Malta: memory of Queen Doña Sancha; Order of Malta: Nuns of the Order.
