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California Legendary Love Story
A bitter-sweet true story of love in old California. The story of
Concepcion Arguello - engaged at the age of fifteen to a Russian
Chamberlain, Nikolai Rezanov. Nikolai died on his journey to obtain the
permission of the Czar to marry. His betrothed waited for some years,
expecting him to return. The beautiful and young Concepcion had many
suitors during this waiting time but she rejected them all. When she
learned of his death she was much grieved and dedicated her life to
doing good, caring for the aged, educating children and Native Americans
, and nursing the sick. At the age of 60 she became a Dominican nun, the
first native-born Californian to join that order, and she was eventually
assigned to St. Catherine's Convent in Benicia. She died on December 23,
1857 and is buried in St. Dominic's Cemetery in Benicia.
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