Holland, Catherine (1637–1720)

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Holland, Catherine (1637–1720)

British religious writer. Born Catherine Holland, 1637, in Norfolk, England; died Jan 6, 1720, in Bruges, Flanders; dau. of Sir John Holland and Alethea (Sandys) Holland.

Aristocratic daughter of Catholic mother who was prohibited by Puritan father from practicing Catholicism; made secret contact with prioress of Nazareth Monastery in Bruges and traveled there alone to join order (1662); trans. religious works from Dutch and French. Autobiography is included in C.S.A. Durrant, ed., Link Between the Flemish Mystics and English Martyrs (1925).

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