Blessed María Pilar Gullón Yturriaga
Profile
The eldest of four children born to Manuel Gullón and Pilar Yturriaga. Member of Catholic Action and the Daughters of Mary in the diocese of Astorga, Spain where she taught catechism to children and cared for the sick in their homes. A lifelong lay woman, she trained and served as a Red Cross nurse at the front in the Spanish Civil War. On 27 October 1936, she was imprisoned, abused, raped and ordered to renounce Christianity by the anti–Catholic militia; she refused. Martyr.
Born
- shot around noon of 28 October 1936 in a field near Pola de Somiedo, Asturias, Spain
- she was given one last chance to save herself by renouncing Christianity; her response was “Long live Spain, long live Christ the King”
- buried in a mass grave in the field near the site of execution
- re-interred in Astorga, Spain in
1938 - re-interred in the cathedral of Astorga in 1948
- 29 May 2021 by Pope Francis
- beatification recognition celebrated at the Cathedral of Santa María, Astorga, Spain
MLA Citation
- “Blessed María Pilar Gullón Yturriaga“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 January 2021. Web. 9 March 2021. <>