Las seroras en Gipuzkoa (1550-1630)

Abstract

The serora or freira is the usual name given to women linked to helping in cult activities in parish church and in watching over the hermitage spread all along the rural area. We do not know exactly how old this institution is, nor the exact job in cultural acitvities. Some specialist link the serora with the diaconesses of Primitive Church. Due to this lack of definition in The Church activities, the eclesiastic authorities decided, since they became troblesome, to abolish this institution. In the Basque Country, nevertheless, the seroras lasted until current times. Their important presence, both in the Church and in the civil society gives us some specific reasons in order to think in the unusual and deep presence of the women along Basque Society's history.