{"id":79273,"date":"2021-07-19T08:35:25","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T07:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/?page_id=79273"},"modified":"2025-07-28T12:01:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T10:01:59","slug":"blessed-brothers-martyrs-of-ciudad-real","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/lasallian-holiness\/blessed-brothers-martyrs-of-ciudad-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Blessed Brothers Martyrs of Ciudad Real"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blessed Brothers Martyrs of Ciudad Real<\/h2><\/div>

CAUSA Narcisus Est\u00e9naga Echevarr\u00eda <\/em>et X Socii<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Cause concerns 11 \"presumed Martyrs\": Narcisus Estenaga (Bishop), 4 priests, 5 Brothers of the Christian Schools<\/strong> and 1 layman.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Santa Cruz de Mudela<\/strong> is a small town in the province of Ciudad Real, where in 1936 there was a school run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Five religious formed the community:<\/p>\n

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Br. Agapito Le\u00f3n <\/strong>(Remigio Angel Olalla Aldea), Direttore, 33\u00a0 years old<\/p>\n

Br. D\u00e1maso Luis <\/strong>(Antol\u00edn Mart\u00ednez Mart\u00ednez), 21\u00a0 years old\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Br. Josafat Roque <\/strong>(Urbano Corral Gonz\u00e1lez),\u00a037\u00a0 years old<\/p>\n

Br. Julio Alfonso<\/strong> (Valeriano Ruiz Peral), 25\u00a0 years old<\/p>\n

Br. Ladislao Luis<\/strong> (Isidoro Mu\u00f1oz Antol\u00edn), 20\u00a0 years old<\/p>\n

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On 22nd July 1936, a group of militiamen surrounded the school in an uproar, invaded it and arrested the five Brothers. They took them to the village \"cheka\" where they stayed for five days. Then, together with other detainees, they took them to another prison where they stayed until 19 August. They persisted in humiliating and making the Brothers suffer. Several times they made them sweep the public square, amidst insults and harassment. They forced them to go on military marches chanting Marxist slogans and on more than one occasion slapped them.<\/p>\n

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Despite their sufferings, they showed courage during their imprisonment and it was they who supported and encouraged the other prisoners, priests and militant Catholics of the place. While they were imprisoned, a benefactress of the College, Do\u00f1a Cecilia Ramiro, took charge of their food, which she brought to the prison every day. On 18 August, the feast of St Agapitos, the Director's name day, she brought him sweets which he distributed to everyone, including the prisoners. But the next day, 19 August 1936, a group of militiamen came to the prison and took the Brothers and 25 other prisoners, including five priests. They loaded them onto a truck and at midnight murdered them in the cemetery of Valdepe\u00f1as, then threw them all into a mass grave.<\/p>\n

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