Rorate Caeli

The Passion of Spain
The Martyrs of Paracuellos de Jarama


[From our ongoing series on the 70th Anniversary of the Passion of Spain.]


Exactly 70 years ago, on November 7 and November 8 (and from November 28 to November 30), 1936, the largest isolated massacre of Catholics in modern times happened in the outskirts of Madrid, near the foot of a hill called Cerro San Miguel (Saint Michael Hill), in Paracuellos de Jarama.

Many thousands of Catholics were martyred by the forces which defended the Spanish Republic (including Communists, Socialists, and Anarchists), in the most brutal and despicable ways, before and especially during the nearly three years of the Spanish Civil War -- yet no place was as soaked with the blood of martyrs in so short a time as the fields of Paracuellos.

Madrid would only fall in the hands of the Nationalists at the end of the war. Yet, in late October 1936, it seemed to the Republican government and its allies that the Capital was about to fall. The government would be transferred to Valencia, and the thousands upon thousands of prisoners (many of whom were not political partisans, but simply Catholic priests, religious, and lay faithful) kept in the prisons and detention centers throughout the city had to be "discarded"...

By trains and trucks they went, hundreds and hundreds for three days, beginning on November 6. When the prisoners arrived at Paracuellos, they had to dig up their mass graves, and were shot by the leftist squadrons, dozens at a time. Many were also buried alive.

The flow of prisoners to Paracuellos was interrupted on November 8, when the advance of the Nationalist forces seemed under control, and due to the intervention of many foreign diplomats.

On November 28-30, thousands more were murdered at Paracuellos, including almost all the Augustinian friars of the great Royal Monastery of Saint Lawrence of El Escorial. Some historians estimate that the total number of people murdered in Paracuellos in November 1936 may have reached almost 5,000, of whom an incalculable number killed solely for their Faith.

We publish below the names of some of the martyrs of Paracuellos, priests and religious brothers [identified as (br)]. Many more unidentified priests and religious, as well as non-religious laymen, were also martyred in that sanctified place. Some have been beatified; the list was obtained from several sources and is incomplete. We honor with their names all Martyrs of Paracuellos, known and unknown (the second part of the list is dedicated to the Martyrs from the Monastery of El Escorial). Their names include the sounds of all "Spains", from Catalonia to Galicia, from the Basque Country to Andalusia, all martyred in the tablelands of old Castile.

May the Martyrs of Paracuellos never be forgotten, as well as the lessons learned from days of terrible persecution under an Atheist tyranny.


Martyrs of Paracuellos, pray for us!

Martyrs of November 7-8 and November 28-30, 1936

  1. Adalberto Juan (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  2. Adradas Gonzalo, Juan Jesús (Blessed)
  3. Alcalde Alcalde, Juan (br) (Blessed)
  4. Alcalde González, Benito
  5. Alcalde Negredo, Pedro María (br) (Blessed)
  6. Alcobendas Merino, Severino
  7. Alfonso, José (br)
  8. Alfonso Beltrán (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  9. Alonso Cadierno, Pedro Nolasco
  10. Álvarez Melcón, Bernardino
  11. Álvarez Rego, Manuel
  12. Arnaiz Álvarez, Atanasio
  13. Baldajos Pérez, Juan (br)
  14. Basilio Julián (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  15. Bautista Jiménez, Eduardo (br) (Blessed)
  16. Bernalte Calzado, Pedro Alcántara (br) (Blessed)
  17. Blanco, Vicente
  18. Bocos, Ángel (br)
  19. Caballero, Juan José (subdeacon)
  20. Carmona, Isabelino
  21. Daciano (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  22. Delgado Pérez, José (br)
  23. Delgado Vílchez, Hilario (br) (Blessed)
  24. Díez Fernández, Jenaro
  25. Díez Sahún, Clemente (br) (Blessed)
  26. Donoso Murillo, Arturo (br) (Blessed)
  27. Escribano Herranz, Mariano
  28. Esteban, Francico
  29. Esteban, Gregorio
  30. Eufrasio María (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  31. Fanjul Acebal, Alfonso
  32. Feijoo, Zacarías
  33. Fernández González, Justo (br)
  34. Floriano Félix (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  35. Franco Prieto, Emilio
  36. García González, Senén
  37. García Molina, Diego de Cádiz (br) (Blessed)
  38. García Pérez, José (novice)
  39. Garzón González, Anastasio
  40. Gesta de Piquer, Jesús (br) (Blessed)
  41. Gil Arribas, Valentín
  42. Gil, Justo (deacon)
  43. Gomara, Vidal Luis
  44. Gómez Lucas, Daniel (br)
  45. González Bustos, Maximino
  46. Guerra, José (br)
  47. Iglesias Suárez, Ramón
  48. Ismael Ricardo (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  49. Juan Pablo (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  50. Juanes Santos, Justo
  51. Julián Alberto (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  52. Llop Gayá, Guillermo (br) (Blessed)
  53. López Arroba, Rogelio
  54. Luis Victorio (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  55. Marcelino Rebollar, Julián (br)
  56. Marco, Alberto
  57. Martín Gago, Victorio
  58. Martín Gómez, Manuel
  59. Martín López, Francisco José
  60. Martínez Gil-Leonis, Antonio (br) (Blessed)
  61. Martínez Izquierdo, Isidoro (br) (Blessed)
  62. Martínez Vélez, Dámaso
  63. Martínez y Martínez, José
  64. Mata Pérez, Anastasio (br)
  65. Meléndez Sánchez, Martiniano (br) (Blessed)
  66. Mendivelzúa, Juan
  67. Mendoza Sabada, Jacinto
  68. Menes Álvarez, Antonio
  69. Monterroso García, Crescencio
  70. Mora Velasco, José (Blessed)
  71. Morquillas Fernández, Francisco
  72. Múgica Goiburu, Lázaro (br) (Blessed)
  73. Muñiz, Félix
  74. Nogueira Guitián, Manuel (Carlos de los Santísimos Sacramentos)
  75. Pablo de la Cruz (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  76. Pajares García, Samuel
  77. Peña, Vicente
  78. Peque Iglesias, José (br)
  79. Pérez Buenavista, Marcos (br)
  80. Pérez Carrascal, Laureano
  81. Pérez Díez, Gabriel (Manuel del Rosario)
  82. Pérez Nanclares, Florencio (br)
  83. Plazaola Artola, Julián (br) (Blessed)
  84. Poveda Daries, Luis
  85. Prado, Eleuterio (br)
  86. Prieto Fuentes, José (br)
  87. Reguero, Victoriano
  88. Renuncio Toribio, Vicente
  89. Riaño Herrero, Serviliano (br)
  90. Rodrigo Fierro, Sabino
  91. Rodríguez Alonso, Avelino
  92. Rodríguez Crespo, Agustín
  93. Rodríguez Fernández, Vicente
  94. Rodríguez Peña, José María
  95. Rodríguez, Clemente (br)
  96. Rodríguez, Publio (br)
  97. Rueda Meijías, Miguel (br) (Blessed)
  98. Ruiz Cuesta, José (postulant) (Blessed)
  99. Ruiz Ruiz, Leonardo
  100. Ruiz Valtierra, Luciano (br)
  101. Sáenz Gastón, Romualdo
  102. Salvador del Río, Nicéforo (br) (Blessed)
  103. Sánchez Fernández, Marcelino (br)
  104. Sanz Domínguez, Manuel (br)
  105. Sastre Corporales, Ángel (novice) (Blessed)
  106. Sedano Sedano, Enrique
  107. Sinfronio (Brother of the Christian Schools)
  108. Soria Castresana, Juan
  109. Touceda Fernández, Román (br) (Blessed)
  110. Turrado Crespo, Eleuterio
  111. Valiente, José María (br)
  112. Vega Riaño, José
  113. Villarroel Villarroel, Balbino
  114. Zubillaga Echarri, Joaquín


  115. Augustinian Martyrs of El Escorial (Martyred on November 30, 1936)

  116. Abia Melendro, Luis (br)
  117. Alonso López, Ramiro (br)
  118. Arconada Merino, Dámaso
  119. Calle Franco, Bernardino (br)
  120. Carvajal Pereda, Pedro J. (br)
  121. Cerezal Calvo, Miguel
  122. Cuesta Villalba, Víctor (br)
  123. Dalmau Regas, José M. (br)
  124. Diez Fernández, Nemesio (br)
  125. Espeso Cuevas, Matías
  126. Fariña Castro, José Agustín
  127. Fincias, Julio María (br)
  128. Fuentes Puebla, Francisco (br)
  129. Gando Uña, José (br)
  130. García Ferrero, Joaquín
  131. García de la Fuente, Arturo
  132. García Fernández, Nemesio (br)
  133. García Suárez, Esteban
  134. Garnelo Alvarez, Benito
  135. Gil Leal, Gerardo
  136. Guerrero Prieto, Marcos (br)
  137. Iturrarán Laucirica, Miguel (br)
  138. Largo Manrique, Jesús
  139. López Piteira, José (br)
  140. Malunbres Francés, Constantino
  141. Marcos del Río, Francisco
  142. Marcos Reguero, Ricardo (br)
  143. Marcos Rodríguez, Julio (br)
  144. Martín Mata, Román (br)
  145. Martínez Antuña, Melchor
  146. Martínez Ramos, Pedro
  147. Mediavilla Campos, Isidro (br)
  148. Merino Merino, Heliodoro
  149. Monedero Fernández, Juan
  150. Noriega González, José (br)
  151. Pascual Mata, Gerardo (br)
  152. Pérez García, José Antonio (br)
  153. Renedo Martin, Agustín
  154. Revilla Rico, Mariano
  155. Rodríguez Gutiérrez, Conrado
  156. Rodríguez González, Benito
  157. Sánchez Sánchez, Juan
  158. Sánchez López, Macario (br)
  159. Sánchez López, Tomás (br)
  160. Simón Ferrero, Pedro (br)
  161. Suárez Valdés, Luis
  162. Terceño Vicente, Dionisio (br)
  163. Valle García, Máximo (br)
  164. Varga Delgado, Pedro de la
  165. Velásco Velásco, Benito
  166. Zarco Cuevas, Julián