Amalia Errázuriz de Subercaseaux

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Amalia Errázuriz de Subercaseaux (née Errázuriz Urmeneta; 1860–1930) was a Chilean writer of Catholic devotional literature and was one of Chile's first travel writers.[1][2][3] In 1912, Errázuriz co-founded and the Chilean Ladies League with Adela Edwards Salas.[4][5]

Early life and education

Amalia Errázuriz Urmeneta was born on 31 May 1860 in the Guayacán neighborhood of Coquimbo to Maximiano Errázuriz Valdivieso, a surveyor, politician and winemaker, and Josefa Amalia Urmeneta de Errázuriz (née Urmeneta Quiroga).[1][6][7] Through her father Errázuriz was a member of the Errázuriz family, and was the granddaughter of the military officer and politician Francisco Javier Errázuriz Aldunate, and the niece of Federico Errázuriz Zañartu and Eulogia Echaurren.[8][9][10] Through her mother Errázuriz was the granddaughter of José Tomás Urmeneta and Carmen Quiroga de Urmeneta.[1][11] One of five siblings, Errázuriz was the younger sister of José Tomás Errázuriz.[7]

In 1861, Errázuriz's mother died whilst giving birth to her younger brother Rafael Errázuriz Urmeneta, a politician and diplomat.[1][7][12] Following her mother's death Errázuriz was primarily raised by her paternal grandmother.[1][7][13] From the age of 10 Errázuriz was educated at Maestranza, a convent boarding school run by the Society of the Sacred Heart.[1][14] Errázuriz was a student of Ana de Rousier, and had intentions of becoming a Carmelite.[1][14]

In 1871, Errázuriz accompanied her father, her step-mother Carmen Valdés Ureta, and siblings on a business tour to Europe.[1] On the tour Errázuriz learnt English and French from a governess.[1]

Career

In 1879, aged 18, Errázuriz married Ramón Subercaseaux Vicuña, a painter, politician and diplomat.[1][11] The same year Subercaseaux was appointed as the Chilean Minister to Germany and Italy, and the couple moved to Europe.[1][11] In the early 1880s Errázuriz was painted by John Singer Sargent in the Portrait de Madame Ramón Subercaseaux.

In the 1890s Errázuriz's family settled in Paris.[1] Errázuriz first visited the Middle East in December 1893, and again the following year alongside her older children.[1][2] Errázuriz's travel diaries from these visits were later published[15] as the Mis días de peregrinación en Oriente around 1930.[2][16] Errázuriz's family later left Patis and briefly returned to Chile, before settling in Berlin from 1898 to 1903.[1]

Return to Chile

Upon returning to Chile the family lived at the Urmeneta Palace in Santiago.[17] In 1906, the family moved to the Quinta de El Llano estate in Southern Santiago.[17]

In 1910, Errázuriz published her first book Roma del Alma which recounted her visit to the Vatican City.[2] On 10 July 1912, Errázuriz co-founded the Chilean Ladies League alongside Adela Edwards Salas and became the organisation's first president.[5][18][4] Errázuriz served as president until 1919.[14]

In 1920, Errázuriz co-founded the Women's Institute of Higher and Practical Studies (Spanish: Instituto Femenino de Estudios Superiores y Prácticos) with Carlos Casanueva at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.[14][19]

Personal life

Errázuriz and Subercaseaux had ten[20] children[5][21] including:

In 1906, Errázuriz's daughter Maria died aged 13.[23][24] Through her daughter Blanca, Errázuriz was the grandmother of Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux, a Franciscan friar and Prelate, and Gabriel Valdés, a politician, lawyer and diplomat.[25][26]

On 8 March 1930 Errázuriz died in Barcelona, aged 69.

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3][1.4][1.5][1.6][1.7][1.8][1.9][1.10][1.11][1.12][1.13][1.14]Ramírez Errázuriz, Verónica (21 March 2018). "Amalia Errázuriz de Subercaseaux". Christian-Muslim Relations Online 2. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers. ISSN 2451-9537.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3][2.4]Amaro, Lorena (December 2014). "Escritoras Peregrinas: Viajes hacia la Patria del Alma". Revista Diálogos (in Spanish). 8. Santiago, Chile: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  3. 3.CAE (17 January 2025). "AMALIA ERRAZURIZ URMENETA:UNA MUJER OCULTADA POR LA HISTORIA". Colegio Amalia Errazuriz (in Spanish). Ovalle, Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  4. 4.[4.2]Valenzuela, J. Samuel; Valenzuela, Erika Maza (2000). "The Politics of Religion in a Catholic Country: Republican Democracy, Cristianismo Social and the Conservative Party in Chile, 1850–1925". In Ivereigh, Austen (ed.). The Politics of Religion in an Age of Revival: Studies in Nineteenth-Century Europe and Latin America. London: Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London. pp. 188–223. ISBN 978-1-900039-32-1. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  5. 5.[5.2][5.3]"The Catholic Woman's Home Page: A Distinguished Chilean Family". The Canadian Register. Quebec, Canada. 6 June 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  6. 6."Reseña Biográfica Maximiano Errázuriz Valdivieso". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  7. 7.[7.2][7.3][7.4]González Valencia, Andrés J. (2014). "Urmeneta, un vecino de Limache que dejó huellas". Boletín histórico de la Sociedad de Historia y Geografía de Chile (in Spanish). 11 (3). Quilpué, Chile: La Sociedad de Historia y Geografía de la Provincia de Marga-Marga: 133–136. ISSN 0719-2754. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  8. 8."Reseña Biográfica Francisco Javier De Errázuriz Aldunate". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  9. 9."Eulogia Echaurren García-Huidobro". Primeras Damas de Chile (PDF). Chile: Centro de Estudios Históricos Forenses. 2012. pp. 55–58. ISBN 978-956-7620-21-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  10. 10."Reseña Biográfica Federico Errázuriz Zañartu". Presidentes de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  11. 11.[11.2][11.3]"Reseña Biográfica Ramón Subercaseaux Vicuña". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  12. 12."Reseña BiográficaRafael Valentín Errázuriz Urmeneta". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  13. 13.Bergot, Solène (21 August 2018). "Infancia y cultura material: el caso de la elite de Santiago de Chile en el cambio del siglo xix al siglo xx" [Childhood and Material Culture: The Case of the Elite in Santiago, Chile in the Transition from the 19th to the 20th Century]. Secuencia (in Spanish) (spe): 153–176. doi:10.18234/secuencia.v0i0.1661. ISSN 0186-0348. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  14. 14.[14.2][14.3][14.4]Sánchez Gaete, Marcial (2011). Moreno Jeria, Rodrigo (ed.). Historia de la Iglesia en Chile. Tomo III : Los nuevos caminos: la Iglesia y el Estado (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Editorial Universitaria. pp. 218–219. ISBN 9789561123502.
  15. 15.Without a date.
  16. 16."Mis días de peregrinación en Oriente". Biblioteca Digital UChile (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Universidad de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  17. 17.[17.2]"Exploración de Obra: En la quinta de El Llano". Colección de Pinturas del Banco Central de Chile. Banco Central de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  18. 18.Donoso, Eliana Jara; Villarroel, Mónica (2013). Gaines, Jane; Vatsal, Radha; Dall’Asta, Monica (eds.). "Women in Chilean Silent Cinema: The Trace of the Feminine in Chilean Silent Era". Women Film Pioneers Project. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  19. 19.El 40 Aniversario Universidad Católica (PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile. 1929. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  20. 20.Also cited as six.
  21. 21."Chilenos: Doña Amalia Errázuriz de Subercaseaux [manuscrito] [Gabriela Mistral]". Archivo del Escritor (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Biblioteca Nacional Digital de Chile. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  22. 22.Later annulled by the Pope so that both could join religious orders
  23. 23."Maria Auxilima Subercaseaux [birth record]". État-Civil 1792–1902 (in French). Paris, France: Archives de Paris. 1893.
  24. 24."Maria Subercaseaux Errazuriz [death record]". Chile, Civil Registration, 1885–1903 [database on-line] (in Spanish). Santiago, Recoleta, Defunciones 1906. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1906.
  25. 25.Griffin, Verónica (27 April 2018). "Monseñor Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux su labor artística". Humanitas (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  26. 26."Reseña Biográfica Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 4 March 2026.