Blessed Anselmo Polanco
Blessed Anselmo Polanco Fontecha (born April 16, 1881 AD in Buenavista de Valdavia, Palencia, Spain; died February 7, 1939 AD near Pont de Molins, Girona, Spain) was a Spanish Dominican friar and Bishop of Teruel who was martyred during the Spanish Civil War. He was among the 233 Spanish martyrs beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995. His feast day is September 16.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Anselmo Polanco
| Blessed Anselmo Polanco | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 16 |
| Profession | Dominican friar; Bishop of Teruel (1935–1939); Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines; Spanish Civil War martyr; bishop who stayed with his flock during siege |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Dominican Order; Diocese of Teruel; 20th-century Spanish Catholicism; Spanish Civil War martyrs; beatified October 1, 1995 |
| Patronage | Teruel; Aragon; Dominican friars; bishops who face persecution; those who remain with their people in times of danger; Spain; the Spanish Civil War martyrs |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; episcopal vestments (mitre, crozier); palm frond of martyrdom; a cross; the Teruel Mudéjar tower (his diocese); a rifle or bullet (his manner of death) |
| Birthplace | Buenavista de Valdavia, Palencia, Castile, Spain |
| Death Place | Pont de Molins, Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; shot February 7, 1939, near Pont de Molins, Girona, Catalonia, during the Spanish Civil War; he was Bishop of Teruel (Aragon) and had remained in the besieged city of Teruel with his flock during the Republican Nationalist Battle of Teruel (December 1937 – February 1938, one of the decisive battles of the Spanish Civil War); when the Republicans withdrew from Teruel and took their Catholic prisoners with them, he was led on a forced march through Catalonia; on February 7, 1939 — days before the fall of Catalonia to Franco's forces (February 10, 1939) — he and his fellow prisoner Blessed Felipe Ripoll Morata (a canon of Teruel) were shot by Republican militiamen near Pont de Molins; beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995 |
| Primary Shrine | Teruel Cathedral, Teruel, Aragon, Spain — his tomb; September 16 feast; diocesan veneration |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; September 16 feast for the Spanish martyrs group; February 7 is the date of his martyrdom |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Anselmo Polanco Fontecha was born April 16, 1881 (Holy Saturday), in Buenavista de Valdavia, Palencia, Spain. He entered the Dominican Order and served as Prior Provincial of the Philippines before being appointed Bishop of Teruel (Aragon) in 1935.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, the city of Teruel eventually became the site of one of the war's most brutal battles (December 1937 – February 1938). Bishop Polanco refused to flee, remaining with his people through the siege. When Republican forces took Teruel in January 1938, he was arrested. He was held as a prisoner for over a year through the Republican retreat in Catalonia.
On February 7, 1939, just days before the end of the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia, he and Vicar General Felipe Ripoll Morata were shot by Republican militiamen near Pont de Molins, Girona.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995, as part of a group of 233 Spanish Civil War martyrs.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Buenavista de Valdavia, Palencia, Castile, Spain
Death location: Pont de Molins, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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Known shrines
- Teruel Cathedral, Teruel, Aragon, Spain — his tomb; September 16 feast.
Feast day
September 16
Veneration
Blessed Anselmo Polanco Fontecha (1881–1939) was a Spanish Dominican bishop who remained with his people through the brutal Battle of Teruel (1937–38) during the Spanish Civil War and was shot near Pont de Molins, Girona, on February 7, 1939. Beatified John Paul II, 1995. Feast September 16.
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