[Religious nurses in the fight for space in the nursing field]

Historic social study that aims to describe the circumstances of creation of the Union of Brazilian Religious Nurses (UBRN); to analyze the strategies of the religious nurses in their seek for space in nursing area; to comment the importance UBRN for education area and nursing practice. Primary sources: written documents and oral report; secondary sources: books, articles, thesis and dissertations related to the thematic. The UBRN contributed for religious nurses have assured their participation in forum and decision of different questions involving the Brazilian nursing. Still it contributed for the increment in the number of nursing schools both in technic and superior level, as well as in directing religious nurses to faculty, aiming to inculcate to those nurses the religious habits, instituting a new model of catholic nursing.