Tea at Trianon: The Blessed Martyrs of Guadalajara

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Blessed Martyrs of Guadalajara

There were many atrocities perpetrated upon priests and religious in Spain during the bloody Civil War of the 1930's. In 1936, three Carmelite nuns were shot. Today is their feast, and here is their story. Share

7 comments:

Anonymous said...: The Spanish Civil War has always been a Hollywood icon for the left. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was lauded by the Hollywood left and mentioned in such films as "For whom the Bell Tolls." and "Casablanca". Little did America know (or knowing did not care) that Catholics were being rounded up and killed. America didn't care about the Catholics in Mexico in the 20's so why should we assume that they cared about the Spanish. I wonder would a President Bush be so interested in ending the genocide in Spain and Clinton was in Yugoslavia? Would it make a difference if there were Catholic and not Muslim? This attack on the faithful was just another attack upon the Body of Christ, no different than the French Revolution, Russian revolution or the Christeros war, a satsn inspired masonic attack.
Thank God for Franco.

de Brantigny; July 24, 2007 at 1:05:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: And a second post.
Looking around on the web one is suprised or rather I should say not suprised to find there are no pro-Franco sites readily available to peruse. One can find every other shade of reading, from Hemingway to atheists. All of which who claim to represent the feeling of the poor peasant, (it is always about the preasant isnt it?)trade unionist, middleclasses. these sites attempt to down play the affect of Communist Russia on Republican Spain. It is never mentioned that the "assistance given to the repulicans was paid for through gold. Oh yes that gold which was "plundered" by the Spanish in the America's from the kind peace loving Aztec and Inca.
The aid given to the Loyalist (wonder why they were called loyalist) by the Nazi and the Fascist is never forgotten or down played as it is with the Russian.

Read this next line carefully,
During and after the Spanish Civil War, members of the brigade were viewed as supporters of the Soviet Union, whether they were in fact or not. Through the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact, Communist Lincoln Brigade veterans joined with the American Peace Mobilization in protesting U.S. support for Britain against Nazi Germany. In otherwords they fell in line with the Communists.

There is diametric opposition to the Church from the left. This is just another example of it.

Jhesu+Marie
de Brantigny; July 24, 2007 at 1:27:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Monsieur, for giving us some true history, which totally contradicts what most people are taught in schools and at the movies.; July 24, 2007 at 1:38:00 PM EDT
Brantigny said...: They are heads full of mush whose tabernacle is a tv.; July 24, 2007 at 1:40:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Dear God, this is sick. I cannot believe the atrocities committed against holy people. I am trying to learn more about our saints and martyrs...but it is not a pleasant task. So many have suffered so much for Our Lord. It amazes me.; July 24, 2007 at 5:36:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: There was a lot of bloodshed on both sides; such is the Spanish character. I cannot imagine New Englanders or Swedes having events like the bull run at Pamplona or bull fights.

The Nationalists were by far the better option, but, all the same, there were stories of owners of haciendas who on the first day of the Civil War called all their employees together, and summarily shot the known leftists to discourage the others.

One of the reasons for the Civil War was that at the time in Spain, only members of the nobility were eligible to become bishops. The bishops were, to be kind, somewhat deaf to the needs of the poor, especially those of the urban poor.

One of the innovative charisms of the Opus Dei, which was founded in those days, was that membership was never restricted by class. This is one reason Spain and the Opus Dei prosper.; July 25, 2007 at 6:18:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Here is a part of Paul Claudel's poem "Aux Martyrs Espagnole." (If anyone has the full text in English, please let me know.

Soeur Espagne, sainte Espagne... tu as choisi!
Onze évêques, seize-mille prêtres massacrés... et pas une apostasie!; July 25, 2007 at 3:55:00 PM EDT