María Sagrario de San Luis Gonzaga

On June 21, 1915, Elvira entered the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites of Saint Anne and Saint Joseph in Madrid. She took the habit under the name of Sister María Sagrario de San Luis Gonzaga. She made her solemn vows on January 6, 1920. Within the monastery, she put her skills as a pharmacist at the service of the community as an infirmarian, and later became mistress of novices. Elected prioress in 1927, she held this office until 1933, before being re-elected on July 1, 1936, just before the start of the Spanish Civil War.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in July 1936, the monastery was stormed. Sister María Sagrario ensured the safety of her sisters by ordering them to disperse, while refusing to take shelter herself at her brother's home in order to remain close to her community. Arrested on August 14, 1936, by Republican militiamen, she was interrogated at the checa on Marqués de Riscal Street. She maintained absolute silence to protect the monastery's property and refused to renounce her faith. Sentenced to death, she was executed by firing squad on August 15, 1936, at the Pradera de San Isidro, writing her final words on a piece of paper: "¡Viva Cristo Rey!".

After her death, her reputation for holiness spread rapidly. Her remains were exhumed in 1942 and transferred to the monastery on Torrijos Street, then in 1959 to General Aranaz Street in Madrid. The informative process opened in Madrid on October 22, 1962, under the pontificate of John XXIII. The decree on her martyrdom was promulgated by Pope John Paul II on March 8, 1997. She was solemnly beatified by John Paul II on May 10, 1998, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The spirituality of Blessed María Sagrario is centered on a profound love for the Eucharist. Her journey, combining the scientific rigor of a pharmacist with mystical contemplation in the Carmel, makes her the first female pharmacist martyr of the Church. In the year 2000, she was proclaimed patroness of Catholic pharmacists of Poland. Her liturgical memorial is celebrated on August 16 in the Order of Discalced Carmelites and in the Archdiocese of Madrid.