Maria Cecilia Cendoya y Araquistain
Nun of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, martyr of the persecution in Spain
Who they were
Near Madrid in Spain, Blessed Maria Cecilia Cendoya y Araquistain, in the world Maria Felicitas, virgin of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary and martyr, gave herself up of her own accord to the militiamen on the very night on which her sisters had been arrested, and confirmed her witness of faith with them by the supreme sacrifice.
The Acta Apostolicae Sedis record that she was born at Azpeitia in the province of Guipuzcoa on 10 January 1910 and made her religious profession in 1932, that she escaped in the darkness when the others were shot but gave herself up and won the crown of martyrdom in the night between the 22nd and the 23rd of the same month, and that the group was beatified at Rome on 10 May 1998 by John Paul II.
The miracles
As a martyr she was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
She gave herself up rather than be spared, and died with her sisters in religion.
- Roman Martyrology, 23 November (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis 90 (1998) - decree on the martyrdom of the Visitation nuns of Madrid
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis 91 (1999) - beatification letter
- Wikidata R3393b3c0 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.