Maria Laurentia Longo

Servant of God Maria Llorença Llong
Religious
Born	1463 Lleida, Crown of Aragon
Died	21 December 1542 (aged 79) Naples, Kingdom of Naples
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	21 December
Attributes	Religious habit
Patronage	Capuchin Poor Clares

Maria Llorença Llong (1463 – 21 December 1542) was a Spanish Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Capuchin Poor Clares. Llong founded the hospital of "Santa Maria del Popolo" in Naples where she relocated to (and where she was widowed) and which received numerous papal privileges from Pope Leo X and Pope Adrian VI.

Llong is titled as a Servant of God since the cause for sainthood commenced under Pope Leo XIII on 4 September 1892.

Maria Llorença Llong was born in Lleida sometime in 1463 to nobles and she relocated to Naples in 1506 alongside her husband Juan Llong (who enjoyed the favor of Ferdinand II of Aragon) despite being paralyzed at the time. Her husband died in 1509 and left her with her three children at which point she went on a pilgrimage to Loreto where she was cured of her paralysis in what she attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Llong became a member of the Franciscans and she founded both a house to care for prostitutes in 1526 and a hospital for ill people. Llong established the hospital of Santa Maria del Popolo in 1519. Llong wanted to go on a pilgrimage but she had a vision that revealed that she should create a women's convent called "Santa Maria in Gerasalamme" and she wanted to re-establish the original concepts of being simple and humble in addition to poorness of spirit and adherence to the austerities of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi. This re-establishment followed the lead that Matteo da Bascio had set when he founded the order of the Capuchin monks.

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