Pope Leo XIV has authorised the beatification of Ignacio Aláez Vaquero and ten companions, nine seminarians, one priest, and one layman, who were murdered between 1936 and 1937 in Madrid. The ceremony will take place on November 28 at the Cathedral of La Almudena.
The Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena will host the beatification of eleven martyrs of the 20th-century religious persecution in Spain on November 28. The ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.
The Vatican gave the green light for the beatification on December 18, 2025, when the Holy Father authorised the promulgation of the martyrdom decrees for Ignacio Aláez Vaquero and ten companions. Among them are nine seminarians, a diocesan priest – the uncle of one of them – and a layman, the father of another seminarian. All were murdered between 1936 and 1937 in the territory of the diocese of Madrid.
The canonisation cause was opened in 2010 and four years later moved to the Roman phase. Now, following the martyrdom decree, the Church officially recognises that these eleven faithful gave their lives for their faith.
Four of the martyrs have a special connection to the diocese of Getafe, which covers part of the southern Community of Madrid. They are Pablo Chomón Pardo, murdered in Valdemoro; Miguel Talavera Sevilla, born in Boadilla del Monte; Ángel Trapero-Sánchez Real, from Navalcarnero; and Julio Pardo Pernía, who served as a chaplain in Ciempozuelos. For the residents of these municipalities, the beatification represents an acknowledgment of their local history and the faith of those who gave their lives in the same land they inhabit today.
The events date back to July 18, 1936, when a group of seminarians was participating in a retreat at the Conciliar Seminary of Madrid. That Saturday, while they were eating, a group of armed militiamen stormed the building. The doorman alerted the retreatants, who managed to consume the sacred hosts and flee through the garden door dressed as civilians. From then on, the 215 young seminarians at the centre suffered persecution: many were located thanks to the seminary's archives, which contained their addresses, and executed.
Most of the martyrs of this cause died between September and November 1936. An exception was Cástor Zarco, who was called up for military service and died a year later, betrayed as a seminarian by a fellow student.
The ceremony on November 28 will be a solemn event open to the faithful who wish to pay tribute to these eleven witnesses of faith. La Almudena, as the seat of the Archdiocese of Madrid, will welcome family members, ecclesiastical representatives, and devotees from across the Community of Madrid. For southern municipalities like Valdemoro, Boadilla, Navalcarnero, and Ciempozuelos, the beatification represents a source of pride and a reminder of their Christian past.
Cardinal Semeraro will preside over the Eucharist on behalf of the Pope, who wishes to show his closeness to the Church in Spain. The chosen date, November 28, is a Saturday, which will facilitate attendance from the faithful across the diocese.
With this beatification, the Church elevates to the altars eleven individuals who, according to the Vatican decree, died “in hatred of the faith.” Their names join the long list of 20th-century martyrs in Spain, which includes over 4,000 priests and diocesan seminarians, 3,000 religious, and tens of thousands of laypeople.
For the residents of the Community of Madrid, especially those from the municipalities linked to the new blessed, the ceremony will be an opportunity to learn about their history and participate in a significant ecclesial event. The organisation of the event will be managed by the Archdiocese of Madrid, which has already begun preparing logistical details.
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