María Quintero Malfaz

The life and work of María Evangelista are intimately linked to the foundation of the Monastery of the Holy Cross (Monasterio de la Santa Cruz) in Casarrubios del Monte, in the province of Toledo. The genesis of this foundation dates back to the meeting between a wealthy and pious couple from Casarrubios del Monte, Alonso García de Ojea (or de Ojeda) and María Rodríguez, and Father Francisco de Vivar in Valladolid. Having no children, the couple wished to dedicate their fortune to a pious work. Father Vivar introduced them to María Evangelista, who already enjoyed a reputation for holiness and had received the mystical revelation that she would found a monastery. Despite numerous administrative difficulties and the initial opposition of the local civil and ecclesiastical authorities of Casarrubios del Monte, the project was able to succeed thanks to the support of the first Count of Casarrubios, Gonzalo Chacón. On October 25, 1634 (or 1633 according to some monastic chronicles), María Evangelista left Valladolid with two other nuns (Francisca de San Jerónimo and María de la Trinidad) and two future novices. They arrived in Casarrubios del Monte on November 27, 1634. The monastic enclosure was established that day, and María Evangelista was elected the first abbess of the new Monastery of the Holy Cross. Under her leadership, the monastery became a center of intense prayer and strict observance of the Cistercian rule. She led the community for fourteen years with great charity, welcoming many local vocations and extending her spiritual influence well beyond the walls of the monastery.

María Evangelista lived a life of profound mystical union with Christ, marked by extraordinary ascetic and mystical phenomena. Notably, she received interior and invisible stigmata, spiritually experiencing the Passion of Christ. Under the guidance of her confessors, Fathers Gaspar de la Figuera and Francisco de Vivar, she wrote down her interior experiences despite her lack of formal education. She is the author of a remarkable mystical work, including the Obra del Génesis (488 pages), an unfinished commentary on Exodus titled Arca del propiciatorio, and a writing on the 72 disciples of the Lord. On January 27, 1648, an extraordinary event, known as the miracle of the Blood of Christ, occurred at the monastery. While the community was singing the Miserere during a Friday procession, a painting depicting Christ carrying his cross appeared to sweat blood and water. The abbess wiped the face of Christ with a linen cloth (the paño), which has since become an object of great devotion, used notably to comfort the dying. After this event, the health of María Evangelista rapidly declined. She passed away on Friday, November 27, 1648, in Casarrubios del Monte, at the age of 57, after receiving the last sacraments. She was buried in the chapter house of the monastery. Five years later, in 1653, during a canonical recognition, her body was found incorrupt. On July 2, 2013, her mortal remains were exhumed and transferred to the monastery church, where they rest today.

The cause for the beatification of María Evangelista Quintero Malfaz was officially opened at the diocesan level in the Archdiocese of Toledo on November 26, 2012. The nihil obstat decree was granted by the Holy See in 2013. The diocesan inquiry closed on September 19, 2014, and its validity was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on February 19, 2016. On October 24, 2025, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of the Venerable María Evangelista is centered on the mystery of the Cross and the Eucharist. She lived a victim spirituality, offering herself as a victim of love with Christ for the conversion of sinners. Her life of prayer was characterized by unconditional obedience to her spiritual directors and deep humility, accepting first the condition of a lay sister before fully embracing her vocation as a choir nun. Her spiritual legacy continues today through the Monastery of the Holy Cross of Casarrubios del Monte, which continues to exist and maintain the Cistercian contemplative life she established. Her mystical writings, long forgotten, are the subject of rediscovery and in-depth theological research in Spain, France, and Italy.