Álvarez of Córdoba, Bl.
ÁLVAREZ OF CÓRDOBA, BL.
Dominican preacher and reformer; b. Córdoba (Lisbon) 1360; d. Córdoba, Feb. 19, 1430. He preached extensively in Andalusia and in Italy. Once the Spanish kingdoms broke with the antipope benedict xiii, Álvarez preached tirelessly against him. Having been counselor for a brief period to King Henry III of Castile, he was instrumental at Henry's death, 1406, in securing the election of King John II in preference to Ferdinand, the king's brother. Álvarez acted as confessor and counselor to Queen Catherine and King John until his retirement to Córdoba in 1423, when he founded the observant priory of Scala Coeli. His devotion to the Passion of Christ, which had been engendered during a pilgrimage to Palestine in 1405, moved him to erect in the priory gardens tableaux of the Passion that were forerunners of the stations of the cross. In 1427, Martin V appointed him vicar of the Spanish Dominican Observants. He was beatified in 1741.
Feast: Feb. 19.
Bibliography: d. a. mortier, Histoire des maîtres généraux de l'ordre des Frères Prêcheurs, 8 v. (Paris 1903–20) 4:210–214. p. Álvarez, Santos, bienaventurados, venerables de la orden de los Predicadores, 4 v. (Vergara, Spain 1920–23) 1:495–508. g. gieraths, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 1:408.
[a. h. camacho]