The rediscovered legacy of Juliana Morell (1594-1653)

Juliana Morell, born in Barcelona, ​​defended oral theses in philosophy at her home in Lyon. She was 12 years old. This milestone made her the first female doctor in history and gave her a position in the Paranymph Hall of the University of Barcelona. Despite being an icon of female erudition for centuries, the life, work and thoughts of Juliana Morell are still unknown. A humanist, polyglot and Dominican religious in Avignon, she was one of the prominent voices of the Counter-Reformation in France. Her thinking flows between two main trends of the Baroque period: rationalism and erotic mysticism.

The rediscovered legacy of Juliana Morell, multifaceted humanist and spiritual writer, invites us to immerse ourselves in her world and experience it with all five senses. A poet, musician, philosopher and theologian, Morell embodies the historical struggle of women to access academic education, while also being a vivid and intense reflection of the individual and collective search for a space where one can feel and think for oneself. Her thinking articulates the logic and erotic mysticism in an organic and fluid way, resulting in the dissolution of a paradox. For Juliana Morell, reason and love go hand in hand: one weighs decisions and the other connects people to each other and to the divine.

This exhibition is curated by Georgina Rabassó (ADHUC-Teoria, Gènere, Sexualitat) and is a result of the project El llegat oblidat de Joana Morell, funded by the MIR-PUIG Private Foundation.