The martyrs of Turon is the name given by the Catholic church to a group of eight members of the Catholic, religious-teaching congregation Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as De La Salle Brothers, and one Passionist priest who were executed by insurrectionists in Spain, during the Asturias uprising of October 1934. They were canonized in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.[1]
In 1934 Turón, a coal-mining town in the Asturias Province in Northwestern Spain, was the centre of anti-government and anticlerical hostility in the years prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The eight de la Salle brothers were involved in an educational mission in the town of Turón in Asturias, living in a community there and teaching in a church school.[2] The Brothers were known to defy the ban on teaching religion and were openly escorting their students to Sunday Mass.
In October 1934, following the calling of a general strike, the miners of Asturias began to arm and organize themselves, occupying several towns and setting up "revolutionary committees." The Brothers' school was an irritant to the insurrectionists in charge of operations in Turón because of the religious influence it ostensibly exerted on the young.[2] On Friday 5 October 1934, they forced their way into the school on the pretext of inspecting whether arms had been hidden inside.[2] They arrested all the Brothers present, as well as a Passionist priest who was visiting to hear confessions.
During the next days, they were tried by a revolutionary court and sentenced to death. On 9 October 1934, in the early hours of the morning, they were executed and then buried in a common grave.
The miners' revolt collapsed shortly after the event, defeated by government troops, with over 3,000 miners killed in the process. The government forces were led by General Francisco Franco, who would himself rebel against the government two years later.
The nine martyrs of Turon were venerated on 7 September 1989, and beatified By Pope John Paul II[3] on 29 April 1990. They were canonized on 21 November 1999.[4] Their memorial day is 9 October.
The nine are regarded by the Catholic church as Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. Although their deaths occurred two years prior to the outbreak of the war, it was part and parcel of the communal violence that was a feature of the conflict, and the times before and after.[4] Of the 6,000 religious persons killed during the Spanish Civil War about one thousand have had their causes advanced for beatification, though the Martyrs of Turon were the first to be canonized.
The cause for the Martyrs of Turon has been linked to that of Jaime Hilario, who was tried, convicted, and executed in 1937 for being a member of the De La Salle Brothers and was canonized by the Catholic Church on the same day as were the nine martyrs of Turon.
The Martyrs of Turon were:[1] [4]