Correa, Deolinda (fl. 1830)

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Correa, Deolinda (fl. 1830)

Argentinean unofficial saint. Name variations: María Antonia Deolinda Correa; Difunta Correa (the dead Correa); La Difuntita Correa; or simply Difunta. Lived in Andean province of San Juan.

As legend has it, her family was persecuted by the governor of the province and her father and husband were imprisoned (1830s–40s); fled police and began to search for husband; with newborn baby in her arms, died of thirst and exhaustion in the mountains; when passing mule drivers discovered her body days later, her son was alive, still suckling from her breast; was buried there with the inscription "Difunta Correa"; though never officially recognized as a saint, is held in veneration by thousands who make pilgrimages to the village of Vallecito, where a shrine at her gravesite has grown to 17 chapels and is now known as the Sanctuary of Difunta Correa.