La Mother SS.CC. Hermasie Paget, "Savior of Lima" Myth or historical reality? The Colegio Belén de Lima in the 19th century

Abstract

During the War of Guano and Saltpeter (1879-1884), the Chilean army occupied Lima after winning the battles of Chorrillos and Miraflores. It was feared that the invading army would loot the city, but it wasn’t because a group of foreign naval commanders reached an agreement with the Chilean general Manuel Baquedano. One of these navy chiefs was the French Admiral Abel du Petit Thouars Bergasse who would probably have acted under the influence of Hermasie Paget, mother superior of the college of the Sacred Hearts of Belén.
This article attempts to refute this belief, supported by a group of leading scholars, because after reviewing the files of the College in question, no documentary evidence was found and it appears that the story of the “saving mother of Lima” was a creation of Monsignor José Antonio Roca y Bologna, a famous monk who in his attempt to balance the memory of the mother, created a tradition that still remains today.
We invite to recognize the Religious virtues of the mother Paget for her extraordinary human quality rather than attributing facts which do not match her personality. As a matter of fact, the article reflects on female education in Lima during the nineteenth century.