Paula de Odivelas

Detail from the painting Mother of God (18th-century Portuguese School), in which Mother Paula of Odivelas was depicted as the Virgin Mary.

Mother Paula of Odivelas (Paula Teresa da Silva e Almeida; 17 June 1701 – 4 July 1768[1]) was a Portuguese nun and royal mistress.

Abbess of the Monastery of Saint Denis of Odivelas, she became the most famous mistress of King John V of Portugal and bore him a son, one of the Children of Palhavã. The passion that inspired to the king during their long love affair turned her into a controversial figure in contemporary Portugal because of the luxury in which she lived thanks to the Brazilian gold provided by the sovereign.

  1. ^ Mosteiro de Odivelas: Personalidades (in Portuguese) [retrieved 7 February 2017].