Camila O'Gorman
Encyclopedia
Camila O'Gorman was a wealthy socialite and figure of scandal in 19th century Argentina
. She was executed during the last stages of pregnancy
.
, the youngest daughter of Adolfo O'Gorman and his wife, Joaquina Ximénez Pinto (d.1852). She was the second-to-last of six children in an upper class family of mixed Irish, French, and Spanish descent. Typical of powerful families in Argentina's post-colonial era, two of her brothers went on to pursue respectable careers. One was as an ordained a priest
of the Jesuit Order, and the other as police officer and the eventual founder of the Buenos Aires Police Academy. Camila was considered a pillar of polite society, frequently dancing at formal balls at the Presidential Palace. She was also a close friend and confidante of Rosas' daughter.
who had attended seminary with her brother. Father Gutiérrez came from a similar background; his uncle was the Provincial Governor of Tucuman
. He had been assigned as the O'Gorman family's parish priest and was soon being frequently invited to her family's estate. They soon began a clandestine affair.
In 1847 Camila and Fr. Gutiérrez eloped on horseback and found refuge in Corrientes Province
, which was then under the control of Benjamín Virasoro, hostile to the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas
. As the scandal broke, the supporters of Rosas suggested that she had been kidnapped. Rosas' exiled political opponents, and future President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
, declared that Rosas' tyranny was responsible for the moral corruption of Argentine womanhood.
priest named Fr. Michael Gannon. To the shock and horror of all following the story, Camila claimed that it had been she who had initiated the affair and insisted on their elopement, angrily denying rumors that she had been raped.
On the orders of Governor Rosas, Camila O'Gorman and Fr. Gutiérrez were executed by a firing squad on 18 August 1848 in the prison town of Santos Lugares de Rosas (today San Andrés town, General San Martín
). Camila O'Gorman was twenty years old and was eight-months pregnant with the illegitimate child of Father Ladislao Gutiérrez.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. She was executed during the last stages of pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
.
Early life
Camila was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, the youngest daughter of Adolfo O'Gorman and his wife, Joaquina Ximénez Pinto (d.1852). She was the second-to-last of six children in an upper class family of mixed Irish, French, and Spanish descent. Typical of powerful families in Argentina's post-colonial era, two of her brothers went on to pursue respectable careers. One was as an ordained a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Jesuit Order, and the other as police officer and the eventual founder of the Buenos Aires Police Academy. Camila was considered a pillar of polite society, frequently dancing at formal balls at the Presidential Palace. She was also a close friend and confidante of Rosas' daughter.
A public affair
In her late teens, Camila was introduced to Father Ladislao Gutiérrez, a Jesuit priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who had attended seminary with her brother. Father Gutiérrez came from a similar background; his uncle was the Provincial Governor of Tucuman
Tucumán Province
Tucumán is the most densely populated, and the smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the capital is San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighboring provinces are, clockwise from the north: Salta, Santiago del Estero and...
. He had been assigned as the O'Gorman family's parish priest and was soon being frequently invited to her family's estate. They soon began a clandestine affair.
In 1847 Camila and Fr. Gutiérrez eloped on horseback and found refuge in Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, which was then under the control of Benjamín Virasoro, hostile to the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
. As the scandal broke, the supporters of Rosas suggested that she had been kidnapped. Rosas' exiled political opponents, and future President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the seventh President of Argentina. His writing spanned a wide range of genres and topics, from journalism to autobiography, to political philosophy and history...
, declared that Rosas' tyranny was responsible for the moral corruption of Argentine womanhood.
Arrest and execution
They were tracked down and arrested by an IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
priest named Fr. Michael Gannon. To the shock and horror of all following the story, Camila claimed that it had been she who had initiated the affair and insisted on their elopement, angrily denying rumors that she had been raped.
On the orders of Governor Rosas, Camila O'Gorman and Fr. Gutiérrez were executed by a firing squad on 18 August 1848 in the prison town of Santos Lugares de Rosas (today San Andrés town, General San Martín
General San Martín Partido
General San Martín Partido is a partido in the Gran Buenos Aires urban area, immediately to the north-west of Capital Federal in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina....
). Camila O'Gorman was twenty years old and was eight-months pregnant with the illegitimate child of Father Ladislao Gutiérrez.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of their deaths, Sarmiento and his fellow Unitario propagandists changed tactic, writing about "the beautiful girl," "the doomed couple," and "the repression of love".In Film
- 1910 - Camila O'Gorman, directed by Mario GalloMario GalloMario Gallo may refer to several people of Italian descent in the film industry:*Mario Gallo 1923-1984 - American TV actor*Mario Gallo 1878-1945 - Early Italian film director in the Cinema of Argentina...
and starring Blanca Podestá in the title role. It was one of the first feature films made in Argentina, and is now lostLost filmA lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
. - 1984 - CamilaCamila (film)Camila is a 1984 Argentine film directed by María Luisa Bemberg, based on the story of the 19th-century Argentine socialite Camila O'Gorman. The story had previously been adapted in 1910 by Mario Gallo, the now considered lost film Camila O'Gorman...
, directed by María Luisa Bemberg and starring Susú PecoraroSusú PecoraroSusú Pecoraro is Argentine film and television actress.-Career:Susana Raquel Pecoraro was born in Buenos Aires in 1952. She enrolled at the Dramatic Arts Conservatory in 1970 and graduated in 1975. She debuted in the theatre of Argentina in 1976, with a role in Yo, Argentino , and on television in...
as Camila O'Gorman, Imanol AriasImanol AriasImanol Arias born Manuel María Arias Domínguez , is a Spanish actor and one off film director.Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group in Spain performing in the Basque Country of northern Spain. He debuted on TV in 1976 and his first film was in "Cecilia " of 'Humberto Solas'...
as Father Gutierez, and Héctor Alterio. It was Argentina's second nomination ever to an Academy Award (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
).
Further reading
- Coghlan, Eduardo A., Los Irlandeses en Argentina: su Actuación y Descendencia (Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, 1987), p. 420. - Julianello, Maria Teresa, The Scarlet Trinity: The Doomed Struggle of Camila O'Gorman against Family, Church and State in 19th-Century Buenos Aires. (CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
: Irish Centre for Migration Studies, 2000). - Luna, FélixFélix LunaFélix Luna was a prominent Argentine writer, lyricist and historian.-Life and times:Luna was born in Buenos Aires to a family originally from La Rioja Province, in 1925...
(ed.), Camila O'Gorman (Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
: Planeta, 2002).