John of Perugia and Peter of Sassoferrato, were both

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friars A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

, who in 1216, were sent by St. Francis, to preach and convert the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

, at

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. Both of them would go on to suffer martyrdom in 1231, at

Biographies

Giovanni da Perugia, a priest, and Pietro da Sassoferrato, a lay brother, were sent by Saint Francis of Assisi in Spain, according to some chroniclers, in 1217, in the expedition directed by Fra Bernardo di Quintavalle or in 1220, according to others. Founders of the convent of Teruel (1220), they then went to Valencia to exercise their ministry among the Christian slaves. Inflamed one day with holy zeal, they set about preaching the truth of the Gospel and rebutting the errors of Islamism in the public square. Imprisoned by the king or governor Ceid Abu Zeyd, and firm in their faith, they were beheaded. Much debated are the place of martyrdom (probably in the square called Figuera, Higuera, and then Plaza de la Reina) and the date, which traditionally is set at 29 August 1231 and which is anticipated by others to 1227-28. However, there are valid reasons in favor of a date even later than 1228 (and very probably 1221) because Ceid Abu Zeyd, who - according to legend - then converted through the intercession of the martyrs and gave one of his palaces as a convent to the friars after the conquest of Valencia (1238), he had been deposed by his opponent Zaen (Abenzeyan) before 1228.

Veneration

The relics of the blessed martyrs, redeemed even before the conquest of Valencia, were placed in the church of the Franciscan convent of Teruel, where they remained until 1835, when they were transferred to the church of S. Chiara, returning in 1900 to the Franciscan convent, re-built. The cult is to be considered immemorial in Aragon, in Valencia, and above all in Teruel, which honors them as patrons and special protectors against the scourge of locusts. Following the decrees of Urban VIII, apostolic processes were drawn up to obtain formal beatification. Having approved the cult by Clement XI on 31 January 1705, in 1727 Benedict XIII granted the proper office for the city of Teruel, setting the feast of the martyrs to 3 September.

References

Italian Roman Catholic saints Spanish Roman Catholic saints 13th-century Christian saints 1231 deaths Spanish Franciscans Year of birth unknown Italian Franciscans 13th-century Roman Catholic martyrs {{Spain-reli-bio-stub