‘Rule’ of the Hospitaller Sisters at the General Hospital in Valencia. Rare.

[Nuns] / [Medicine] / Ignacio Xavier Montllor. Reglas y reflexiones cristianas dirigidas a las Hermanas Hospitaleras que en el año 1757 se congregaron en el Hospital General de la ciudad de Valencia, baxo la proteccion del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. En Valencia: Por Joseph Estevan Dolz, Impr. Del S. Oficio, [1757]. 8vo [14.5 x 9.5 cm], xvi pp., 124 pp. Bound in contemporary vellum. Rubbing and edge wear to spine and covers, losses to pastedowns exposing card. Edge wear in first few leaves, minor toning in some quires, small hole at p. 38 affecting a few words.

Very rare (1 U.S. copy: SMU Bridwell) first and only edition of this 1757 ‘Rule’ for the newly established Congregation of Hospitaller Sisters (Hermanas Hospitaleras) formed at the Hospital General in Valencia under the protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The book, written by the Jesuit Ignacio Xavier Montllor (1715-1788), tells of the Congregation’s origin (helpful women volunteering at the Hospital on Saturdays), its devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its affiliation with the Society of Jesus. There follows a list of indulgences specific to the Hermanas Hospitaleras. Next is the ‘Rule’ proper, with special attention given to the different roles of women in the organization and formulas for accepting new pledges. The remainder of the volume provides spiritual exercises to prepare oneself for serving the infirm, devotional strategies for aiding patients, and emphasizes the Sacred Heart of Jesus in patient care.

OCLC & KVK locate 1 U.S. example of this work (SMU Bridwell).

*M. L. López Terrada & T. Navarro Lanuza, Los estudios históricos sobre el Hospital General de Valencia.