Bienheureux Alvare de
Zamora
Prêtre dominicain
espagnol (+ 1430)
Originaire d'une famille noble, à un âge précoce, il entre en 1368 au couvent dominicain de Saint Paul à Cordoue. Excellent prédicateur, il aide à réformer l'ordre fondé par le bienheureux Raymond de Capoue. Avec l'aide du roi Don Juan de Castille dont il était le confesseur, il fonde un monastère près de Cordoue et, au retour d'un pèlerinage à Jérusalem, il y introduit la vénération du chemin de croix. Culte approuvé par le pape Benoît XV le 22 septembre 1741.
Commémoraison du bienheureux Alvare de Zamora, prêtre de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs,
grand prédicateur, qui établit un chemin de croix dans le couvent fondé par lui
près de Cordoue en Andalousie, où il mourut vers 1430.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/11464/Bienheureux-Alvare-de-Zamora.html
Bienheureux Alvarez
de Cordoue
Réformateur Dominicain
Fête le 19 février
Zamora, León, v. 1350 – †
Córdoba, Andalousie, id. v. 1430 ou 1434 (?)
Béatifié le 22 septembre
1741 par le pape Benoît XIV
Autre mention : 9
février
Autres graphies :
[Alvarus] Alvaro de Córdoba, de Zamora ou Albaro
En Espagne, la réforme de
l’Ordre des dominicains a pour promoteur le bienheureux Alvarez de Cordoue,
prédicateur puissant, « le Vincent Ferrier de l’Andalousie », qui
crée près de Cordoue le couvent de la « Scala coeli » (1423), puis un
autre à Cordoue même (1427). Le Maître général des frères prêcheurs Barthélemy
Texier se sert de lui pour étendre la réforme en Castille, et, en 1440,
institue un Vicaire général pour les observants de la province d’Aragon. Son
culte a été confirmé en 1741 par le pape Benoît XIV (1740-58).
SOURCE : http://www.martyretsaint.com/alvarez-de-cordoue/
Álvaro de Cordoue
1348-1430
Álvaro (ou Álvarez) était
originaire de Cordoue (Espagne) ou de Lisbonne (Portugal) et pouvait être né
vers les années 1350.
En 1368 - la première
date sûre qu’on ait de lui - il entra chez les Dominicains de
Cordoue.
Le Grand Schisme allait
éclater en Occident et Álvaro se donna à toutes sortes de pénitences pour
expier cette erreur : cilice, chaîne de fer, veilles, jeûnes, silence, rien ne
lui suffisait pour implorer la miséricorde de Dieu.
Parmi les Frères, il
recherchait avidement le dernier rang, toujours prévenant envers eux.
Il parcourut l’Andalousie
en prêchant, puis passa en Italie, et de là en Palestine. Près des Lieux
Saints, il pleura amèrement sur l’endurcissement des Sarrazins et des
schismatiques, mais aussi des mauvais catholiques.
En 1405, il reprit son
apostolat en Espagne. Le roi Enrico II de Castille le consulta ; à la mort de
ce dernier, la reine Catalina le prit comme confesseur et lui confia
l’éducation du jeune roi Juan II. Álvaro en profita pour réformer la cour, mais
demanda sa liberté dès que possible.
La reine l’appuya dans
son désir de fonder un couvent dominicain selon l’esprit de réforme voulu par
s. Raimondo de Capoue (v. 5 octobre). Le couvent s’appela Escalacæli (Echelle
du Ciel), et fut une pépinière de sainteté et de science divine.
Álvaro prêcha pour
convaincre la population de rester fidèle au pape légitime (Grégoire XII puis
Martin V) et de s’opposer à l’antipape Pedro de Luna (qui s’appelait Benoît
XIII).
Álvaro avançait en âge,
mais ne s’épargnait aucune fatigue pour la prédication et l’enseignement ; la
nuit, il priait longuement. Il fit construire plusieurs petites chapelles sur
le territoire du monastère ; une nuit qu’il fut bloqué par la tempête dans l’une
d’elles, tandis que l’eau descendait en cascade à l’entour, il entendit la
cloche de l’office : il étendit son manteau sur ce ruisseau imprévu, et revint
au couvent à pieds secs et à l’heure ; son manteau était resté sec et propre.
Au terme de ses
prédications, il suscitait la charité des fidèles en faveur des Frères, dont le
couvent de l’Echelle du Ciel ne vivait que d’aumônes.
On le voyait parcourir à
genoux le trajet qui le menait à une chapelle mariale, pendant lequel il se flagellait.
Álvaro eut la joie de
saluer la fin du schisme d’Occident (1417) avec l’élection de Martin V.
Comme le rappelle le
Martyrologe Romain, Álvaro mourut le 19 février 1430 et son culte fut confirmé
en 1741.
SOURCE : http://www.samuelephrem.eu/2015/11/alvaro-de-cordoue.html
Álvaro
de Córdoba. Compendio histórico de las vidas de los santos canonizados y
beatificados, 1829
Also
known as
Alvarez de Zamora
Albaro…
Alvaro…
Profile
Joined the Dominicans at Cordova, Spain in 1368.
Renowned and well-travelled preacher,
well known in Andalusia and Italy. Pilgrim to
the Holy Lands. Preached Crusade.
Personal confessor,
spiritual guide and political advisor to Queen Catherine.
In charge of the education of young King John
II. Opposed the Avignon pope Peter
de Luna. Reformed many of the practices common at court.
Founded Escalaceli (Ladder
of Heaven), a Dominican house
of strict observance in the mountains around Cordova;
it became a well known center of piety and learning. Alvarez spent his days
there preaching, teaching, begging alms in
the street, and spending his nights in prayer.
In the gardens of
the house he set up a series of oratories with images of the Holy Lands and
Passion, similar to modern Stations of the Cross.
There are many wonderful
stories attached to Alvarez, which include:
Angels are
reported to have helped built Escalaceli, moving stone and wooden building
materials to the site during the night, placing them where workmen could
easily get them during the day.
Once when the entire food
stocks for the house consisted of a single head of lettuce, he gathered all the
brothers at table, gave thanks for the meal, and sent the porter to
the door; the porter found
a stanger leading a mule loaded with food. After unloading the mule, the
stranger and the animal disappeared.
Alvarez once found
a beggar dying alone
in the street. He wrapped the poor man
in his own cloak,
and carried him back to Escalaceli. When he arrived at the house and unwrapped
the cloak,
instead of man, he found a crucifix.
It still hangs in Escalaceli.
A bell in
the chapel with
Alvarez’s relics rings
by itself just before the death of
anyone in the house.
Attempts were made to
move Alvarez’s relics to Cordova,
but each try led to violent storms that
kept the travellers bottled
up until they gave up their task, leave the bones where they are.
Born
Lisbon, Portugal or Cordova, Spain (sources
vary)
c.1430 at
Escalaceli near Cordova, Spain of
natural causes, and buried there
22
September 1741 by Pope Benedict
XIV (cultus
confirmed)
God of mercy, you
endowed Blessed Alvarez
with the gifts of penance and divine love. With the help of his prayers and
example may we always bear the suffering of Christ in our bodies and your love
in our hearts. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – General Calendar of the Order
of Preachers
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Saints
and Saintly Dominicans, by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie
Cormier, O.P.
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Stars
in Saint Dominic’s Crown, by Father Thomas
Austin Dyson
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
videos
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Blessed Alvarez of
Cordova“. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 May 2024. Web. 5 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-alvarez-of-cordova/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-alvarez-of-cordova/
Book of Saints –
Alvarez of Cordova
Article
ALVAREZ of CORDOVA
(Blessed) (February 9) (15th century) A Saint of the Order of Saint Dominic,
who spent his life in preaching and converting sinners throughout Spain, and
who laboured hard to extinguish the great Schism of the West, occasioned by the
conflicting claims of two rival Popes. Blessed Alvarez died A.D. 1420.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Alvarez of Cordova”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
26 November 2016. Web. 5 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-alvarez-of-cordova/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-alvarez-of-cordova/
Bl. Alvarez of Corova
Feastday: February 19
Birth: 1350
Death: 1430
Beatified: September 22, 1741, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIV
Alvarez was born in either Lisbon, Portugal, or Cordova, Spain. He entered the
Dominican convent at Cordova in
1368. He became known for his preaching prowess in Spain and
Italy, was confessor and
adviser of Queen Catherine, John of Gaunt's
daughter, and tutor of King John II in
his youth. He reformed the court, and then left the court to found a monastery
near Cordova. There the Escalaceli (ladder of heaven) that he built became a
center of religious devotion. He successfully led the opposition to antipope Benedict XII (Peter
de Luna), and by the time of
his death was famous all over Spain for
his teaching, preaching, asceticism, and holiness. His cult was confirmed in
1741.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=332
Blessed Alvarez of
Cordova, OP (AC)
(also known as Albaro)
Died c. 1430; cultus
confirmed in 1741. Blessed Alvarez is claimed by both Spain and Portugal. He
received the habit in the convent of Saint Paul in Cordova in 1368, and had
been preaching there for some time in Castile and Andalusia when Saint Vincent
Ferrer began preaching in Catalonia.
Having gone to Italy and
the Holy Land on a pilgrimage, Alvarez returned to Castile and preached the
crusade against the infidels. He was spiritual advisor to the queen-mother of
Spain, Catherine daughter of John of Gaunt, and tutor to her son John II.
Alvarez had the work of preparing the people spiritually for the desperate
effort to banish the Moors from Spain. He also opposed the Avignon pope Peter
de Luna.
Blessed Alvarez is
probably best remembered as a builder of churches and convents, an activity
which was symbolic of the work he did in the souls of those among whom he
preached. He founded, in one place, a convent to shelter a famous image of Our
Lady, which had been discovered in a miraculous manner. Near Cordova he built
the famous convent of Scala Coeli, a haven of regular observance. It had great
influence for many years. His building enterprises were often aided by the
angels, who, during the night, carried wood and stones to spots convenient for
the workmen.
The austerities of
Alvarez were all the more remarkable in that they were not performed by a
hermit, but by a man of action. He spent the night in prayer, as Saint Dominic
had done; he wore a hairshirt and a penitential chain; and he begged alms in the
streets of Cordova for the building of his churches, despite the fact that he
had great favor at court and could have obtained all the money he needed from
the queen. He had a deep devotion to the Passion, and had scenes of the Lord's
sufferings made into small oratories in the garden of Scala Coeli.
On one occasion, when
there was no food for the community but one head of lettuce left from the night
before, Blessed Alvarez called the community together in the refectory, said
the customary prayers, and sent the porter to the gate. There the astonished
brother found a stranger, leading a mule; the mule was loaded with bread, fish,
wine, and all things needed for a good meal. The porter turned to thank the
benefactor and found that he had disappeared.
At another time, Blessed
Alvarez was overcome with pity at a dying man who lay untended in the street.
Wrapping the man in his mantle, he started home with the sufferer, and one of
the brothers asked what he was carrying. "A poor sick man," replied
Alvarez. But when they opened the mantle, there was only a large crucifix in
his arms. This crucifix is still preserved at Scala Coeli.
Blessed Alvarez died and
was buried at Scala Coeli. An attempt wads made later to remove the relics to
Cordova, but it could not be done, because violent storms began each time the
journey was resumed, and stopped when the body was returned to its original
resting place.
A bell in the chapel of
Blessed Alvarez, in the convent of Cordova, rings of itself when anyone in the
convent, or of special not in the order, is about to die (Benedictines,
Dorcy).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0209.shtml
Saints
and Saintly Dominicans – 19 February
Blessed Alvarez
of Cordova, O.P.
On account of his
prudence and virtues Blessed Alvarez was
chosen as confessor to John II, King of Castile. But he obtained leave to quit
the court and retired to a convent of strict observance, justly called “the
Ladder of Heaven,” because in the solitude of retreat men are separated more
and more from earthly things; ladder of Heaven because it is the near, certain
and happy end of so fervent and pure a life. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem,
and, having the souvenirs of the Passion vividly imprinted on his heart,
Blessed Alvarez on his return, desired to have them always present before his
eyes as food for pious thought for himself and others. He had representations
of the scenes of the Passion set up in the monastery and thus he is considered
to have been one of the pioneers of that devotion of the Stations of the Cross,
which, later on cast into a definite form and enriched with many indulgences by
the Church, has become, together with the Holy Rosary, a great source of
sanctification for the souls of both learned and simple, great and lowly. Once
Blessed Alvarez found on the road and took up in his arms a poor man covered
with ulcers, and on taking him into the convent to attend to him, he saw his
burden changed into a crucifix. Blessed Alvarez died in 1420.
Prayer
Blessed Alvarez
of Cordova, give me the spirit of solitude, even when I am in the midst of
worldly company.
Practice
Make your meditation and
preparation for Mass as
if you were on Calvary.
– taken from the
book Saints
and Saintly Dominicans, by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie
Cormier, O.P.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-and-saintly-dominicans-19-february/
Blessed Alvarez of Cordoba
19 FEBRUARY 2010.
Today
we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Alvarez of Cordoba, a Dominican friar and
priest. Alvarez was born at Zomora, Spain in the middle of the fourthteenth
century and entered the Dominican Order in A.D. 1368. Blessed Alvarez preached
throughout Spain and Italy. By his preaching and devotion to the Lord's
passion, Alvarez spread the practice of the Via Crucis (Stations of
the Cross) throughout Western Europe. Blessed Alvarez died on 19 February 1430.
During his life Blessed Alvarez was the personal confessor, spiritual guide,
and political advisor to Queen Catherine of Castile. And, Alvarez was charged
with the educating the young King John II. Blessed Alvarez founded a Dominican
house of strict observance in mountains around Cordoba, called Escalaceli (Ladder
of Heaven), which became a well known house of piety and learning. Blessed
Alvarez spent his time at Escalaceli, during the day, preaching, teaching,
and begging for alms in the street. At night he was absorbed in prayer.
Tradition tells that Blessed Alvarez set up a series of images in the gardens
of Escalaceli with images of the Holy Land and our Lord's Passion--a
foundational practice that we know today as the Stations of the Cross.
Tradition tells of two particular events in the life of Blessed Alvarez of
Cordoba that provide great instruction on how we are called to live our lives
today.
Our Lord calls us to humble ourselves and place our trust in Him.--Once, when
the entire food stocks of Escalaceli consisted only of a single head
of lettuce, Blessed Alvarez invited all of his Dominican brothers to sit with
him at the table. When they had done so, Blessed Alvarez said a prayer of
thanksgiving for the meal and sent a porter to answer the door. When the porter
opened the door, he found a stranger leading a mule that was loaded with food.
After the mule was unloaded of the food, the stranger and animal disappeared.
What you do for the least of my brothers, says the Lord, you do for Me.--Once,
Blessed Alavarez found a dying beggar in the streets. Moved with pity, Blessed
Alvarez wrapped the beggar in his own cloak and carried him back to Escalaceli.
However, when he arrived at the priory and unwrapped his cloak, he found not
the beggar, but a crucifix. That crucifix reportedly still hangs in Escalaceli today.
SOURCE : https://acta-sanctorum.blogspot.com/2010/02/blessed-alvarez-of-cordoba.html
Stars
in Saint Dominic’s Crown – Blessed Alvarez of Cordova
The historians of the
Dominican Order do not agree on the place where Blessed Alvarez was born,
whether it was in Lisbon or Cordova, in which latter city he spent the greater
part of his life. All assert, however, that he was of noble family. He entered
the order in the monastery of Saint Paul in Cordova, in the year 1368. Having
sanctified himself during his novitiate by penance and prayer he began his
ministry with wonderful success, and soon converted numbers of sinners from an
evil life. He evangelized Andalusia, at the same time that the great Dominican
preacher and miracle-worker, Saint Vincent Ferrer, was in the midst of his labors
in Castile. From Spain Blessed Alvarez went into Italy, and preached there with
success equal to that he obtained in his native land.
We next hear of him in
Palestine, occupied in the same labor of the conversion of sinners. His deep
devotion to the Passion of Our Divine Lord caused him to remain a long time in
the Holy Land. His love for preaching found ample scope in Palestine, peopled
as it was with Turks, Schismatics, and bad Catholics from every land; and the
sadness of his heart at the sight of so much sin on the very site of the
redemption of mankind caused him to shed bitter tears of grief and indignation.
In 1405 he returned to Spain, and found his native land on the eve of a
struggle with the Moors. The Moorish King of Granada had refused to pay tribute
to the King of Castile, to which he was bound by ancient treaties, and having
taken forcible possession of the town of Ayamonte was busily preparing for new
conquests. Don Henry II, King of of Castile, protested in vain against the
infraction of the treaties and could obtain no satisfaction.
Blessed Alvarez went
about preaching penance, and endeavored to impress on the people’s mind that
the victory of the Christians over the Moors depended on a change of manners
among themselves. The fame his holiness had acquired, the eloquence of his
sermons, and his patriotic appeals made a vivid impression on their souls, and
in a short time a truly marvellous change was seen in Andalusia. He constantly
reminded them that when the Spanish people were faithful to God and to the
duties of religion, they had always conquered their enemies; but that God had
delivered them up to the horrors of war, famine, and the disgraceful yoke of
their enemies when they had abandoned themselves to the gratification of their
passions, despising the teachings of their holy religion.
Don Henry, finding
himself forced into a war with the Moors, convoked the Cortes at Toledo, that
he might consult the Grandees of his kingdom as to the best means of carrying
it out with success. In answer to his appeal they assembled at Toledo from all
parts in great numbers; but they arrived in time only to celebrate his funeral,
for the young king died on Christmas day, 1406.
His death left the
kingdom in danger from enemies without and factions within. The Grandees
endeavored to crown the late king’s brother, Don Ferdinand, putting aside the
young Prince Juan, son of Don Henry. Queen Catherine, the late king’s widow
begged Blessed Alvarez to come to her aid, to secure her son’s rights and thus
insure peace to the kingdom. He acceded to her wishes, and employed all his
remarkable talents of persuasion to inspire the Grandees with the sole desire
of securing the good of the kingdom, and at the same time to suggest to the
queen a spirit of moderation. God blessed his efforts. The baby-prince, Don
Juan II, was proclaimed King of Castile, and the regency divided between Queen
Catherine and Don Ferdinand. Blessed Alvarez became the queen’s confessor and
adviser, and in this double office acquitted himself with universal
satisfaction, and when the young prince was old enough to receive advice he
labored to instill into his mind solid principles of religion, morality and
justice, and taught him to be a true father to his people and the supporter and
defender of the church.
As soon as Castile was at
peace within, the war against the Moors was undertaken, and crowned with
success. All the towns which had been captured by the Moors were regained, and
the baneful power of the Mussulman effectually checked.
Blessed Alvarez also
worked a great reformation in the morality of the court and courtiers. His holy
and self-denying life was a silent lesson to those nobles, who, as is usual in
the courts of princes, loved the pleasures of this life and the pomp of earthly
power more than they loved God. Respecting him on account of his genuine and
unfeigned virtues, they soon learned to restrain their inordinate pride, and to
practise all the virtues of true Christians. But the peace of the kingdom was
again disturbed, and this time Blessed Alvarez was powerless to avert the
dissensions which arose. The regency was divided, Old Castile was given to the
queen, while Don Ferdinand took charge of New Castile. Blessed Alvarez now
found himself much freer than before; he was no longer obliged to remain at
court, and was enabled to resume the work of preaching so long interrupted. He
set out to preach, and visited every part of Old Castile and Leon, everywhere doing
grand work for souls.
Three years after the
division of the regency Don Ferdinand became King of Aragon, and Queen
Catherine obtained the sole regency in Castile.
She earnestly requested
Blessed Alvarez to assist her in governing the country by his wise advice, but
he begged to be entirely free to practise the studies of his holy ministry. He
had long formed the intention of founding a community of primitive observance
of the Dominican Rule. If he wished he could have built a magnificent monastery
and amply endowed it: for the queen and Castilian nobles would readily have
furnished him with the necessary means. A true disciple of Saint Dominic, he
chose rather to begin in the strictest poverty, and desired to build a
monastery such as Saint Dominic himself would have built. Wishing to make it a
true home of prayer, retirement, and study, he chose a a solitary site, far
enough from the haunts of men not to be disturbed, and yet sufficiently near to
a large town to carry out the Dominican vocation of preaching. The site
selected was on a mountain a few miles from Cordova. He called it “Scala
Coeli,” or the “Ladder of Heaven,” to remind those who dwelt in it that Heaven
should be the sole wish of their hearts, and that all their studies and
monastic duties were only to be the means of attaining that eternal bliss.
The new monastery was
soon filled. Many Fathers came to him from all parts of Spain, desiring to be
taught by him the secrets of perfection. They were all filled with his own
spirit, and Scala Coeli soon became famous as a seminary of sanctity, learning,
and piety; and the holy missionaries it sent forth did much for the honor and
glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
Perhaps the most
important service rendered by this monastery to the church was the part the
Fathers took in reuniting the people in obedience to the authority of the
legitimate Pope. In fighting against the Anti-Pope Peter de Luna, Blessed
Alvarez knew that he had to encounter the influence of many of the powerful of
this world, and that money and authority would be employed against him. He
foresaw the difficulties which he and his newly founded community would have to
face, and yet he did not flinch, because he saw that it was his duty. Saint
Vincent Ferrer, his fellow-Dominican, on withdrawing from obedience to Peter de
Luna, had caused the King of Aragon to submit to the decrees of the Council of
Constance, and to the authority of Martin V, who was elected by the Fathers of
that council. Blessed Alvarez, animated with the same zeal for the peace of the
church, resolved to lead the court of Castile to follow the example of the King
of Aragon. Everything was against him. Passion, intrigue prejudice, interest,
and the Grandees, all were, at first arrayed on the side of the Anti-Pope.
Queen Catherine of
Castile had sent ambassadors to the Council of Constance, and having consented
to abandon Peter de Luna she sent a second embassy of Bishops, which took away
the last obstacle to the peace of the Church.
The queen died soon after
this happy event. Thus the influence which Blessed Alvarez always possessed
over the queen, his fervent prayers and fasts and continual preaching led the
Kingdom of Castile to acknowledge the true Vicar of Christ.
After this happy event
Blessed Alvarez, instead of taking repose, which his labors and now advanced
age merited him, again entered with new ardor into the work of preaching.
Catechising, instructing the poor and ignorant, healing the sick, consoling the
afflicted, destroying superstitions, reconciling enemies – such were the holy
occupations to which he again gave himself, and which he continued until the
end of his life; and to these already sufficiently arduous labors he added many
severe penances and spent many hours in prayer. After passing the whole day in
preaching and administering the sacraments in the Andalusian mountains, he
returned to his beloved monastery of Scala Coeli, where he spent nearly the
whole night in prayer at the foot of the altar, knocking unceasingly at the
door of Divine Mercy to obtain new graces to enable him to continue the work of
the ministry. Clothed in hair-cloth, with an iron chain around his loins, he
subjected his body to the law of the spirit, and obtained a continued victory
over all his passions; and in proportion as his age and labors continued he
lengthened his nightly watches, and his fasts became more frequent and severe.
He had blotted out his high rank from his memory, and delighted in serving the
lowliest members of the community. He and his brethren lived on alms. It was
his delight to go out and beg. He often went into the great square of Cordova,
when the merchants were met together for commerce, and there he would address
them, and conclude his discourse with these words: “My dear Brethren, the poor
friars of Saint Dominic in the mountain recommend themselves to your charity,”
and he always succeeded in his appeal.
God sometimes allowed the
community to be reduced to great necessity, that he might show how dear to him
were the virtues of his servant Alvarez. One day there was not a crumb of bread
or food of any kind in the monastery. The Procurator went to the Prior and told
him there was only a lettuce, which remained from the evening meal of the day
before. Blessed Alvarez exhorted the fathers and brothers to trust in God, and
to go to the refectory when the dinner bell rang, although there was nothing to
serve. When the time came he gave the customary blessing, and then began to
pray God to have pity on his servants reduced to so great need. And while he prayed
the monastery bell rang, and the porter found a man there with a mule laden
with provisions, bread, wine, fish, and all manner of food. He ran to tell the
Prior, who bade him thank their benefactor; but on the brother’s return he had
gone, and they were never able to learn who had sent the provisions.
When building the
monastery of Scala Coeli materials several times failed. Blessed Alvarez began
to pray, and during the night a great noise was heard, as if stone was being
cut and wood sawed. In the morning everything was found on the ground prepared
for building, and it was never discovered who had set it there or whence it had
come.
One day, as Blessed
Alvarez was passing through the principal street of Cordova, on his way home
after preaching, he found a poor man covered with ulcers in a dying condition.
With his cloak he covered the man, and carried him on his shoulders to the
monastery. As he was passing through the cloisters one of the Fathers asked him
what load he bore. He answered, “It is a poor dying man I found in the street
abandoned by all. I brought him here to take care of him; my heart would not
let me leave him there in that condition.” He laid his burden on the floor and
uncovered it, and behold they saw not a man but a figure of Christ on the
cross. This crucifix was afterwards hung in one of the chapels of the monastery
church, where it is still an object of universal devotion.
His penances, always
severe, became more so as his life drew near to an end. He disciplined himself
to blood, and undertook a penance very hard to practise. He often walked on his
knees, disciplining himself all the while to a chapel dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin of Pity. The road was rocky, and the angels of God frequently
accompanied him, clearing away the little rocks and upholding him by the arms.
After his death, the Fathers who had been privileged to see these heavenly
favors, caused a picture to be painted representing the holy man kneeling, his
bared shoulders welted with the cruel discipline and attended by angels who
knelt all around him. This picture is still to be seen at Cordova. The great
devotion to the Passion of our Divine Lord which had led him to visit the Holy
Land, also inspired him to build several small chapels in the monastery of
Scala Coeli, in which he caused the different scenes in the Passion of Jesus
Christ to be painted. In the first was the Agony in the Garden of Olives; in
the second, Judas betraying Our Lord, kissing Him with a traitor’s kiss; in the
third, the bloody flagellation at the pillar; in the fourth the crowning with
thorns; the Ecce Homo in the fifth; in the next Jesus carrying His cross to
Calvary; in the seventh the crucifixion and in the last the dead Christ in the
arms of His sorrowful mother.
This last chapel was
called Our Lady of Pity, and this was his favorite place for prayer and
penance. One evening, when he had shut himself up in one of these chapels, the
rain came down in such torrents, that a little brook which divided the garden
from the monastery, had become so swollen that he could not cross it. The bell
rang for Matins, the midnight office in the choir; what could he do?
He raised his eyes to
God, took off his black cloak, spread it on the running waters, stepped upon it
and safely walked to the other side; then he put it on again and went to Matins
in the choir.
He was several times
endowed with the gift of prophecy.
A holy life was crowned
by a holy death. He died 19 February 1420. He was buried in the monastery
church, but the miracles which were wrought every day at his tomb caused Martin
de Mendoza, Bishop of Cordova, to enshrine his relics in a costly case, and
place them in a chapel where they could be easily approached. Ecclesiastics of
all ranks went there to say Mass, and many of them deposed that delicious
perfumes exhaled from the holy relics. An authentic record of all the miracles
was written and received the Bishop’s approval.
The Fathers of our order
remained in the monastery of Scala Coeli until John of Toledo, a Dominican
Bishop of Cordova, gave them the Church of the Holy Martyrs, in his diocesan
city. As soon as they had established themselves in their new monastery they
set about to transfer the relics of Blessed Alvarez into their new church; but
when the two Priors of Saint Paul’s and the Holy Martyrs, accompanied by a
crowd of pious people, went to the Church of Scala Coeli, and attempted to
carry away the coffer in which the body reposed, a thunderstorm burst forth,
and they replaced it on the altar and then the storm immediately ceased. It
burst forth again on their endeavoring a second time to remove the relics.
Every one deemed it to be the will of Heaven and of the holy man himself that
his body should remain in the church of the monastery he had founded and had so
dearly loved.
Desolate for nearly a
century, Scala Coeli was restored by the celebrated Dominican Father Lewis of
Granada, and once more the divine worship of praise ascended to heaven from the
long deserted church, and the Friars of Saint Dominic again meditated in the
cloisters, and observed all the sweet monastic observances in the monastery
Blessed Alvarez had built. Then took place a great revival of popular devotion
to Alvarez, which having continued. Pope Benedict XIV approved his cultus in
1741.
Prayer
Ant. O good and faithful
servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
V. Pray for us, O blessed
Alvarez.
R. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
O God, who didst endow
Blessed Alvarez Thy confessor with the graces of penance and divine love, grant
that by his intercession we may ever bear the mortification of Christ in our
bodies, and Thy love in our hearts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
MLA
Citation
Father Thomas Austin
Dyson, O.P. “Blessed
Alvarez of Cordova”. Stars
in Saint Dominic’s Crown, 1897. CatholicSaints.Info.
25 June 2022. Web. 5 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/stars-in-saint-dominics-crown-blessed-alvarez-of-cordova/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/stars-in-saint-dominics-crown-blessed-alvarez-of-cordova/
Beato Alvaro De Zamora da
Cordova Domenicano
Zamora, 1360 - Cordova,
1430
Nel 1368 entrò nel
convento di s. Paolo a Cordova. Laureatosi a Salamanca, fu in un primo tempo
destinato a insegnare Sacra Scrittura, ma le sue straordinarie capacità si
rivelarono quando l'obbedienza gli affidò il ministero della predicazione. Fu
emulo del suo confratello s. Vincenzo Ferreri e con lui contribuì a sottrarre
seguaci all'antipapa Benedetto XIII. Rinnovò con l'ardente parola e con
l'esempio di vita austera l'Andalusia. Ritornato da un viaggio in Terra Santa,
diffuse la devozione ad alcuni episodi della Passione: fu così tra gli
iniziatori della Via Crucis. Fondò presso Cordova il celebre convento di s.
Domingo di Scala Coeli, centro propulsore della riforma domenicana in Spagna.
Martirologio Romano: A
Córdova nell’Andalusia in Spagna, commemorazione del beato Alvaro, sacerdote
dell’Ordine dei Predicatori, insigne per la predicazione e la contemplazione
della Passione di Cristo.
Alvaro da Cordova, come affermano antichi storici, appartenne alla nobilissima famiglia Cardona. Egli vestì l’Abito domenicano in tenera età, nel Convento di S. Paolo in Cordova nell’anno 1368. Fu famoso e ardente predicatore e con gli esempi e con le opere contribuì alla riforma dell’Ordine inaugurata dal Beato Raimondo da Capua e dai suoi discepoli. Di ritorno da un pellegrinaggio fatto in Terra Santa, riportò scolpito nel cuore il doloroso cammino del Calvario percorso dal Salvatore. Desideroso di vivere un’esistenza solitaria e perfetta, dove poter temprare lo spirito per un più proficuo apostolato, col favore del Re, Don Giovanni II di Castiglia, di cui era confessore, poté fondare a tre miglia da Cordova il famoso e osservantissimo Convento di S. Domenico Scala Coeli, dove dispose vari oratori che riproducevano la via dolorosa, da lui venerata in Gerusalemme. Questa sacra rappresentazione fu imitata da altri Conventi, dando origine alla devozione tanto bella della Via Crucis, così cara alla pietà cristiana. Di notte si recava in ginocchio a una grotta molto distante dal Convento dove, a imitazione del Santo Padre Domenico, pregava e si flagellava. Questa grotta divenne poi meta di pellegrinaggi da parte dei fedeli. Ebbe il dono della profezia e operò miracoli. Morì il 19 febbraio del 1430, venendo sepolto nel convento da lui fondato. Papa Benedetto XIV il 22 settembre 1741 ha approvato il culto.
Autore: Franco Mariani
