The former superior of a Carmelite monastery in Nogoyá was convicted of unlawfully detaining two nuns; she denied the allegations.
HBO Max’s new miniseries Confinada is based on the case of nuns at the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Nogoyá, Argentina. In 2016, several former residents reported physical punishment and restrictions on their freedom. A journalistic investigation prompted police to examine the allegations.
Former superior Luisa Ester Toledo, known in the monastery as María Isabel de la Santísima Trinidad, was tried over the unlawful detention of two nuns who wanted to leave. In 2019, a court sentenced her to three years in prison for unlawful deprivation of liberty involving violence and threats. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Entre Ríos province finally rejected the defense appeal, making the conviction final.
Court records describe former nuns’ claims that they were prevented from leaving and subjected to punishments. Toledo denied the accusations and said she used penitential practices approved by the Church. She also said she had not received formal requests to leave the convent.
The series depicts a fictional superior, Sister Cecilia; CNN Brasil says the character was inspired by Toledo’s story. Scenes depicting the deaths of young nuns are part of the dramatization, not established facts from the court case.