Blessed
Blessed Marcelo Spínola Y Maestre
Archbishop of Seville and cardinal, founder of the Ancelle Concezioniste del Cuore Divino di Jesus, 1835-1906
Early life
Marcelo Spínola Y Maestre was born on the island of San Fernando (Cadice), Spain, on 14 January 1835, of noble families.[1] He took a degree in law in 1855 and became a lawyer, distinguished by his free assistance to the poor.[1] Leaving the profession, he entered the seminary at Seville and was ordained a priest in 1864.[1]
Ministry
For 15 years he was chaplain at Sanlùcar de Barramela and parish priest of San Lorenzo in Seville, and spiritual adviser to some local confraternities.[1] In 1879 he became a canon of the cathedral, in 1881 he was elected auxiliary bishop of Seville, and he then went as bishop to the diocese of Coira.[1] He founded the congregation of the Ancelle Concezioniste del Cuore Divino di Jesus.[1] In 1886 he was transferred to the diocese of Malaga, where the people began to call him the holy bishop.[1] In 1896 he became archbishop of Seville, where, sharing the hardships of the poor, he was called the beggar archbishop, and in 1905 he was made a cardinal.[1]
Death and recognition
He died at Seville in 1906.[1] He was beatified on 29 March 1987 by Pope John Paul II.[1]
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Sources and notes
- Marcelo Spínola y Maestre
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints · Italian
Accessed 2026-09-05
Editorial notes
Translated and condensed from the Dicastery's official Italian profile by an automated pass on 2026-09-09; identity matched on the death date and name; editorial review pending.
This is an AI-assisted draft prepared from the sources above. Its citations identify its evidence; they do not replace a historical review.
The inherited biography
The earlier biography for this record, kept unchanged while the sourced draft is reviewed.
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Blessed Marcelo Spínola Y Maestre, born into nobility as the son of the Marquis of Spínola and Antonia Maestre y Osorno, dedicated his life to serving God and the marginalized. After earning degrees in civil and canon law from the Universities of Granada, Valencia, and Seville on 29 June 1856, he practiced law in Helva and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, notably offering his services to the poor without charge. Renouncing secular pursuits, he received the sub-deaconate on 20 September 1863 and was ordained a priest on 2 May 1864 in Seville. His pastoral ministry flourished as
Image: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons (Cardenal Marcelo Spínola.jpg)
Heraldry & Devotional Emblems
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