Pedro Herrero Rubio

Upon returning to Alicante after his studies abroad, Dr. Pedro Herrero Rubio opened his medical practice on Calle Castaños. This place quickly became a refuge for sick children, especially those from the poorest families. Nicknamed the "doctor of the poor," he systematically refused to be paid by needy families, provided them with free medication, and even went so far as to fund their food or basic care himself.

For more than thirty years, he served as president of the Alicante College of Physicians. He also directed the "Madre e Hijo" (Mother and Child) institution for 33 years, the dispensary at the port of Alicante, where he treated the children of dockers and port workers as a volunteer, at a time when social security did not yet exist in Spain. He did not hesitate to walk through the most unsanitary and disadvantaged neighborhoods of Alicante, such as the caves of the Castle of San Fernando, to visit sick children at home and transport them to the hospital if necessary.

Scientifically, he contributed actively to the modernization of Spanish pediatrics. He was particularly distinguished by his research on "Kala-azar" (visceral leishmaniasis), a serious childhood disease that was then endemic and fatal in the Alicante region. His work allowed him to develop an effective treatment based on tartaric acid, "neoestobisan," thus contributing to the eradication of this pathology.

Alongside his medical practice, he was involved in numerous social works. He collaborated actively in the founding of the "Cottolengo" of Alicante for the care of the incurable and abandoned, and supported the creation of the "Ciudad de los Muchachos" (City of the Youth) initiated by Father Fontova both financially and medically.

The life of Pedro Herrero Rubio is characterized by a perfect harmony between his medical profession and his Christian faith. For him, every sick child was an image of the suffering Christ. His charity was not limited to bodily care; he also watched over the spiritual salvation of souls. He did not hesitate to baptize newborns in danger of imminent death himself and managed to convince many parents who were distant from the Church to have their children baptized.

He drew his strength from a life of intense prayer and an extraordinary Eucharistic devotion. A very active member of Catholic Action, he assumed the diocesan presidency of the men's branch. He was also a pillar member of the Spanish Nocturnal Adoration (Adoración Nocturna Española), of which he became the diocesan president and honorary president. Despite the fatigue accumulated during his workdays and his night visits, he spent many nights in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, sometimes falling asleep from exhaustion at the foot of the altar.

On the day of his funeral, celebrated at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Alicante, the Bishop of the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, Msgr. Pablo Barrachina y Esteban, publicly announced to the crowd his intention to open a cause for his beatification.

The cause for beatification and canonization was officially introduced at the diocesan level on June 30, 1997, under the presidency of Bishop Victorio Oliver Domingo, following the receipt of the Nihil Obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 28, 1997. The diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of Pedro Herrero Rubio was closed on June 9, 1998, and all documents were transmitted to Rome.

On February 27, 2017, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God, thereby officially conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

On November 2, 2025, during a solemn ceremony presided over by the diocesan bishop, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla, the mortal remains of the Venerable Pedro Herrero Rubio were transferred and installed in the Chapel of the Good Death (Capilla de la Buena Muerte) of the Co-Cathedral of Saint Nicholas of Bari in Alicante, providing a new place of devotion for the faithful. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required.

The spirituality of Pedro Herrero Rubio is based on the practice of medicine as a true lay priesthood and an apostolate of charity. His daily life was centered on daily Mass and Communion, which nourished his unconditional love for the poorest.

His legacy remains extremely vibrant in Alicante, where he is honored as an exemplary figure of lay holiness. Several public places in his hometown bear his name, notably a school (Colegio Pedro Herrero), a street, and a park. A monument topped with his bust was also erected at the port of Alicante, in tribute to his three decades of volunteer service to the families of seafaring workers.