María Gabriela Hinojosa Naveros and 6 companions

At the beginning of 1936, faced with rising political tensions and the intensification of religious persecution in Spain, the community of the First Monastery of the Visitation of Madrid, which numbered more than 80 nuns, decided to take refuge in Oronoz (Navarre) for security reasons. However, in order to maintain a spiritual presence and watch over the monastery, whose church remained open for worship, a small group of seven sisters chose to remain in Madrid. The Mother Superior entrusted the responsibility of this group to Mother María Gabriela de Hinojosa Naveros.

As a precaution, a semi-basement apartment (semisótano) was rented nearby, at number 4 González Longoria Street, to serve as a refuge in case of immediate danger. On July 18, 1936, as news of churches and convents being set on fire spread through the capital, the seven sisters left the monastery for good to settle in this makeshift refuge. There, they led a life of strict enclosure, intense prayer, and deep fraternity, refusing to separate or seek asylum in foreign embassies or consulates, preferring to entrust themselves entirely to Divine Providence.

The clandestine presence of the religious sisters was finally discovered and reported to the authorities by an employee of a neighboring house. From that moment on, their apartment was subjected to several searches by Republican militiamen, who confiscated various religious objects. Despite the growing threats, the sisters prepared themselves serenely for the possibility of martyrdom, spending the night of November 17 to 18, 1936, in prayer.

On the evening of November 18, 1936, a patrol of armed militiamen burst into the apartment and arrested the sisters. As they climbed into the vehicle amidst the shouts of the crowd, the sisters serenely made the sign of the cross. They were taken to a vacant lot located at the intersection of López de Hoyos and Velázquez streets (the Altos del Hipódromo) in Madrid, where they were immediately shot without trial.

Five of the companions and Mother María Gabriela died instantly. However, during the shooting, the youngest, Sister María Cecilia Cendoya Araquistain, instinctively escaped into the darkness. Finding herself alone in the hostile city, she decided shortly after to surrender to the militiamen by confessing her status as a religious sister. Detained for three days at the Buenavista prison (checa) and then transferred to the Porlier prison, she was finally executed in her turn against the walls of the Vallecas cemetery, on the outskirts of Madrid, on the night of November 23, 1936.

After the end of the Spanish Civil War, the bodies of the martyrs were sought. In 1940, the remains of four of the sisters were transferred to the crypt of the rebuilt Monastery of the Visitation in Madrid, while the remains of the other three were subsequently placed at the monument of the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos).

The process of beatification, initiated for the cause of martyrdom (in odium fidei), concluded on May 10, 1998. On that day, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, Pope John Paul II celebrated the solemn beatification of María Gabriela de Hinojosa Naveros and her six companions, alongside other figures of the Spanish Church. In his homily, the Holy Father highlighted their obedience and their fraternal life in community, recalling that they prepared themselves for the supreme sacrifice through silence, prayer, and the generous offering of their lives to God.

Their common liturgical feast is set for November 18 in the Roman Martyrology, the day of the martyrdom of the first group. Sister María Cecilia Cendoya Araquistain is also commemorated on November 23.

The spirituality of these seven martyrs is deeply rooted in the Salesian charism of the Order of the Visitation, founded by Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal. This charism emphasizes humility, gentleness, joyful obedience, and an absolute trust in Divine Providence.

Even in the heart of persecution and isolation in their refuge, the sisters bore witness to a remarkable joy and serenity. Mother María Gabriela, endowed with a cheerful character, strove to maintain good humor and hope among her sisters. Their martyrdom is the fruit of a fidelity lived daily in small things, brought to its heroic fulfillment. By refusing to separate to seek safer individual refuges, they manifested until the end the value of community life and fraternal love, forgiving their executioners with all their hearts. Their testimony remains a source of inspiration for the Order of the Visitation and for the entire Church, illustrating the strength of the contemplative life in the face of the world's violence.