The Spanish Civil War and the young seminarians who became victims because of their fidelity to Christ and the Church. They left a testimony that they died forgiving those who took their lives.

During the bloody Civil War (1936–1939), half a million citizens perished in Spain. Most of them were Christians and nationalists.

There was targeted persecution of the Church and the opposition. According to documents, in the area controlled by the left-wing Republican government, 22,000 churches were destroyed, 6,783 priests and religious were murdered, along with 13 bishops and thousands of Christian faithful.

In August 1936, priests and seminarians from Barbastro—from the seminary of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary—also became victims of the Red Terror and hatred toward the Church.

They were offered salvation on several occasions if they would renounce their faith, take off their cassocks, and take up secular professions. However, none of them accepted this offer.

The film also features the figure of the first Romani blessed martyr, Zefirín Jiménez-Malla. On July 25, 1936, Zefirín Jiménez-Malla saw militiamen beating a young priest on the road. Zefirín stepped in to defend the priest.

After fifteen days in prison, Zefirín, along with other prisoners—including Bishop Florentino Asensio Barroso—was taken by truck to the local cemetery. There, they were all shot and thrown into a mass grave. Zefirín’s last cry was the words he had repeated throughout the entire journey: “Long live Christ the King!”

Spain, 2013

Crew: Pablo Moreno;

Cast: Iñigo Etayo, Jerónimo Salas, Álex Larumbe, Elena Furiase, Emma Caballero;

Parental Guide:

Several people are shot.

1 instance of the swear word “son of a bitch,” 1 instance of “go to hell.”

A few scenes of anarchists smoking and getting drunk.

Psychological terror against seminarians through a fake, staged execution.

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