LA SANTA JUANA, PRIMERA PARTE

SJuanaI

REPARTO

I

Gil, a servant of Juan Vázquez, and Elvira are celebrating their marriage.  Francisco Loarte and some others are hunting nearby, and they come upon the wedding celebration.  Francisco falls in love with Juan Vázquez's thirteen-year-old daughter, Juana, because of her great beauty.  Juana shows a strong inclination toward the religious life, wanting to tell stories of saints at the wedding, but her father tells her that this is inappropriate.

Meanwhile in Toledo Marco Antonio has returned after two years in the New World, where he had gone to recover his fortunes, and finds Melchor and Julio jumping the wall of his house.  He thinks that Leonor, his wife, has been untrue, because he hears Melchor refer to a beautiful woman whose husband ran a risk in leaving her alone.  Marco Antonio is very upset and decides to try to court his wife incognito to see if she's unfaithful.  Melchor, however, tells a friend that he was courting the wife of a soldier who lives next door to Leonor, and when she (the soldier's wife) called the alguacil, he and Julio jumped to Leonor's roof to escape.  Leonor, in fact, has the reputation of being a very virtuous woman.

When Melchor returns home, his father, Juan Mateo, who is the brother of Juan Vázquez, is waiting and tells him he is going to send him to Alcalá to school so he will keep out of trouble.  He reminds Melchor that he is a merchant and the members of his family are labradores, not nobles.

Francisco asks Juan Vázquez for Juana's hand in marriage, but Juan is hesitant because Francisco is a nobleman (hidalgo), while Juana is a farmer's daughter (labradora).  He tells Francisco he will have to talk to his brother in Toledo before reaching a decision.  Meanwhile, he is to take Juana that night to the Franciscan Convent of la Cruz, to fulfill a promise Juana's mother made to take her there but which her mother was unable to carry out before she died. Just then Juan Mateo arrives with Melchor, in route to Alcalá.  He advises Juan Vázquez to marry Juana to Francisco, and Juan Vázquez, in turn, advises his brother that it is a mistake to take Melchor to Alcalá because he will not be there to supervise the youth and thus Melchor will have even more opportunity to get into trouble.

That night the two brothers and their children go to the Convent of la Cruz.  When they arrive there Juana tells of how a thirteen-year-old shepherdess named Inés saw that Virgin there, received the stigmata, and then told the villagers where to build the church where they are now worshipping.  Inés became an abbess, then sinned, but later repented and died a saint.

II

Juan Vázquez has given his word to Francisco that Juana will marry him, but she says she has already promised herself to God.  Her father insists that she must obey him, however.  They have gone to Toledo to stay with Juan Mateo, and Francisco is coming to join them there.  Left alone, Juana asks God to adorn and dress her, and she then hears a voice that tells her she will wear these clothes, and the habit of a Franciscan nun appears.

In the meantime, Marco Antonio and Ludovico are watching Leonor's house.  Marco Antonio has learned that it was Melchor whom he saw leaping over Leonor's wall. He has decided to kill Melchor, thus gaining revenge, and then go to Madrid and return from there to Toledo, pretending to have just arrived from Seville and the New World.  He does not plan to kill Leonor, because he wants to avoid scandal.

Melchor plans to sneak out that night to visit Marcela, Leonor's next door neighbor, so Fabio lays out his clothing for him in his room.  However, Juana finds the clothes, puts them on and, dressed as a man, sets out for the Convent de la Cruz in order to become a nun.  She hesitates along the way, but her Guardian Angel gives her the strength to go on.

Leonor has heard from her maid that Marco Antonio is back, and she concludes he has found another love or he would have returned to her.  Dressed as a man, Leonor goes out with a friend, Decio, that night, and they find Marco Antonio and Ludovico rondando.  Leonor and Marco Antonio recognize each other, and each accuses the other of infidelity.  In his accusations Marco Antonio mentions Melchor, and Julio and Fabio, who are passing by at that moment, hear what he says.  Julio explains to Marco Antonio how it happened that Melchor was jumping over the wall of Leonor's house.  Thus the differences between Marco Antonio and Leonor are reconciled and they are happy to be together again.

Juana's disappearance has been discovered, and her father and uncle set out to find her.  En route to the convent, Juana meets Francisco, who asks her where she is going and tries to embrace her, but she becomes invisible to him.  Francisco then encounters Juan Vázquez and Juan Mateo, and they all go to look for Juana at the convent de la Cruz because Juan Vázquez thinks that's where she's gone.  Meanwhile, she arrives at the convent and the abbess and the maestra de novicias greet her.  Shortly afterwards, Juan Vázquez, Juan Mateo and Francisco come to the convent.  Her father wants to take her away by force, but then his heart is softened and he relents and lets her stay.  Poor Francisco is heartbroken, even though Juan Vázquez says that he should be consoled since Juana is not leaving him for another man, but for God.  This thought does not alleviate his grief, however, and he rushes out, saying that he is going mad and that he's lost everything.

Everyone admires Juana's devout nature.  She has a vision of San Francisco and Santo Domingo arguing over which she will choose, and she decides to choose the Franciscan order.  The head of the novitiates tells Juana that she is not to speak, except at confession, for a year.  Thus she plans to test Juana.

III

Juana has been in the convent for two years, and all marvel at her devotion.  She didn't speak at all the first year.  The head of novitiates is very jealous because she thinks that Juana will be the new abbess, and she wants that position for herself.

One day Juana falls and breaks a vase, but when she prays that it be mended, it is restored.  The head of novitiates accuses her of being a witch, of having a devil within her.  Juana's Guardian Angel always stays with her, however, to console and strengthen her. Gil brings his daughter, who is possessed by a devil, to the convent, and Juana casts out the devil by putting the cord of San Francisco around her neck and telling the devil to leave.  Juana also has a vision of the baby Jesus while she's doing her duty as the gatekeeper (tornera).

Juana is made the new abbess (abadesa), much to the dismay of the head of novitiates, who is still jealous, even though Juana has made her the vicaria. Carlos V, the Archbishop of Toledo, and el Gran Capitán Gonzalo Fernández are traveling through, and they stop at Francisco's house.  The latter tells them that he is not well because of his suffering since Juana chose God instead of him.  The Archbishop has heard about Juana, and so they decide to go to see her.  Speaking through Juana's mouth, the Holy Spirit forecasts the future: Carlos will have many victories as defender of the faith and will eventually abdicate in favor of his son Felipe and go to Yuste.  The King and Archbishop are greatly impressed by Juana and give money to the convent, which is in great need.

The nuns ask Juana to have God bless their rosaries and help them get souls out of Purgatory.  Juana's Guardian Angel takes care of this, and they all see a vision of Christ blessing the rosaries.  At his point the first part of the Santa Juana trilogy ends, with the promise of a second part to follow.