Six letters from the queens and “infantes” to the monastery of Sant Antoni and Santa Clara of Barcelona: a documentary typology in a monastic archive and a link with the women of the Catalan-Aragonese crown

Abstract

This article presents a transcription and analysis of the contents of the correspondence of the queens of Aragon, which is preserved in the archival collection from the monastery of Santa Clara of Barcelona (Archive of the Monastery of Sant Benet de Montserrat). The analysis is carried out from two connected perspectives: fi rstly, by situating the letters in the context of a monastic archival collection, their treatment and visibility; secondly, by showing how they served as a vehicle for the relationship between the different sovereigns – and also “infantes” – and this monastery of the Poor Clares in the city of Barcelona. In the first case, importance is given to the transcription of the letters, which have often been lost among the diplomatic corpus, and to the analysis of their archival treatment over time by the institution itself. In the second case, the correspondence issued by each sovereign is viewed in the context of her reginal action, or queenship, which frequently includes the promotion of the monastic communities.