Ángel Marina Álvarez and 19 companions

The Convent of the Assumption of Calatrava in Almagro was an important center for formation and study for the Dominican province of Baetica. It housed an apostolic school (minor seminary), as well as cycles of study in philosophy and theology. The life of the community was centered around contemplation, rigorous study, and the preparation of young friars for preaching.

The prior, Father Ángel Marina Álvarez, was a religious with extensive pastoral experience, having exercised his missionary ministry in Venezuela, Cuba, and the Canary Islands before being appointed head of the Almagro community in 1935. Among the teachers was Father Luis Suárez Velasco, a brilliant exegete who had studied at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome and at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, where he had specialized in Holy Scripture, Hebrew, and Greek. The cooperator brothers ensured the material management and the smooth operation of the convent, while the students and novices dedicated themselves to their spiritual and intellectual formation under the guidance of their formator fathers.

The persecution accelerated dramatically in July 1936. On July 21, members of a local extremist faction set fire to the Madre de Dios parish church, near the convent. The Dominicans who attempted to extinguish the fire were violently repelled. Faced with the growing threat, the mayor of the city, Daniel García Pozo, ordered the religious to evacuate the convent on July 24. Before leaving, Father Ángel Marina Álvarez gathered his brothers to distribute the Holy Species during a moment of deep emotion.

The religious were confined by the militiamen in a disused house on Feria Street (Calle Feria) in Almagro, which had been turned into a makeshift prison. During their three weeks of captivity, they lived in a climate of intense prayer, reciting the rosary and the Divine Office, consciously preparing themselves for martyrdom.

Their execution took place in several stages and in different locations, as the militiamen separated them: - July 27, 1936: The young novice Antolín Martínez-Santos Ysern, who had attempted to reach his family with a safe-conduct pass, was arrested and shot at the Alcázar de San Juan train station. - July 30, 1936: Fathers José Garrido Francés, Brother Santiago de Prado Fernández, and student Justo Vicente Martínez were intercepted on a train and executed at the Miguelturra train station. - August 8, 1936: Students Paulino Reoyo García, Santiago Aparicio López, and Ricardo Manuel López y López were taken off a train and shot in Manzanares. - The night of August 13 to 14, 1936: The last thirteen religious remaining in Almagro, including the prior Ángel Marina Álvarez, were taken to a place called "El Picado," about two kilometers from the city, and shot. Before the execution, Father Antonio Trancho Andrés gave sacramental absolution to his companions. All died forgiving their executioners and confessing their faith.

The canonical process regarding the martyrdom of the Almagro community was opened in the Diocese of Ciudad Real. After the examination of the Positio by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis authorized, on December 11, 2019, the promulgation of the decree officially recognizing their martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith).

Initially scheduled for 2020, the beatification ceremony had to be postponed due to the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The solemn celebration took place on June 18, 2022, at the Cathedral of Seville (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede). It was presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis. On that day, the 20 martyrs of Almagro were raised to the altars alongside 7 other martyrs of the Dominican family (from Almería and Huéscar), forming a group of 27 new blesseds.

Their liturgical memorial is set for November 6, the day of the collective celebration of the martyrs of the religious persecution of the 20th century in Spain. They are also celebrated locally on August 14, the day of the martyrdom of Father Ángel Marina Álvarez and his main companions.

The spirituality of the martyrs of Almagro is deeply rooted in the Dominican tradition, characterized by the search for truth (Veritas), contemplation, and fraternal life. Faced with the ideological violence of their time, they countered with the weapons of prayer, gentleness, and absolute trust in Divine Providence.

Their testimony is marked by a total absence of resentment toward their persecutors. By offering their lives, they manifested the desire to be instruments of peace and reconciliation for their country torn apart by civil war.

The relics of the blessed martyrs of Almagro were transferred and are today piously venerated in the church of Santo Tomás de Aquino in Seville. Their sacrifice remains a source of spiritual inspiration and vocational fruitfulness for the Order of Preachers and for the universal Church.