SAN MARTIN DE PORRES

San Martín de Porres

 (Lima, 1579-1639)

 Peruvian religious of the order of the Dominicans who was the first Holy mulatto of America. He was the son of Juan de Porres, hidalgo poor native of Burgos, and Ana Velásquez, a free black, native of Panama.

His father, due to their poverty, not could marry a woman of his condition, which did not prevent their de facto relationship with Ana Velásquez. Fruit it was also born Juana, two years younger than Martin. Born in the Lima District of San Sebastian, Martín de Porres was baptized December 9, 1579. The baptismal document reveals that his father did not recognize him, because as Knight layman and Bachelor of a military order, he was obliged to observe continence of State.

 To 1586, the father of Martin decided to take his two sons to Guayaquil with his relatives. However, relatives only accepted Jeanne, and Martín de Porres was returning to Lima, where she was put under the care of Doña Isabel García Michel in the suburb of Malambo, in the lower part of the District of San Lazaro, inhabited by blacks and other racial groups. In 1591 of Archbishop Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo received the sacrament of confirmation of hands.

Martin began his apprenticeship of apothecary in the casa de Mateo Pastor who was to marry the daughter of his tutor. This experience would be key for Martin, later known as great herbalist and Healer of the sick, since apothecaries did less healing and administered remedies for common cases. He was also an apprentice Barber, trade that involved knowledge of minor surgery.

 The proximity of the Dominican convent of our Lady of the Rosary and its convent cloister exercised an attraction about it. However, enter there wouldn't change their social situation and the treatment that would be mulatto and bastard: could it be Friar of mass and even forbade him be lay brother. In 1594, Martin entered the convent as a would-be convent without option to the priesthood. Inside the convent was ringer is fame that its punctuality and discipline in prayer were exemplary. Moreover, he slept very little, between three to four hours, and they say that, not to forget their duties by tiredness, a cat with three colors went to the infirmary and began to scratch him warning him of his duty.

 His hagiographers have had several devotions, but above all I believed in the Blessed Sacrament and the Virgin Mary, especially the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of the order dominica and protective of mulattos. Martin was a supporter of the models of Holiness of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, San Jose, Santa Catalina de Siena and San Vicente Ferrer. However, despite his on zeal and devotion, it did not develop its own line of mysticism. The daily life of the future Saint was extremely frugal. It was very sober in eating and simple in dressing (wore a simple white habit throughout his life). It is said that when he died there were no clothes with that bind him, so he was buried with his own already-frayed habit.

 In the convent, Martin also worked as a Barber, wardrobe, bleeder and tooth-puller. His cell was in the Faculty of nursing. All learning as herbalist in the Pharmacy and Barber made Martin a healer of the sick, especially the poorest and neediest, who did not hesitate to give away sick garment. His fame became very notorious and was very needy people in large quantities. His work was broad: taking the pulse, palpable, gagged, entablillaba, pulled teeth, extirpaba lobanillos, suturaba, sucked bleeding wounds and imposed hands skilfully. Martin gathered medicinal traditions Andean, Spanish and African; I used to grow a variety of plants which then combined in remedies for the poor and sick in an orchard. It should begin its work as a nurse between 1604 and 1610.

 Life in the convent was ruled by obedience to his superiors, but in the case of Martin racial condition was also decisive. His humility was put to the test on many occasions. It seemed to have a very poor concept of itself and even as miserable, and therefore worthy of mistreatment. Although he frequented people of color and caste, he never raised claims social or political; He devoted himself only to practice charity, which was extended to other ethnic groups. All these difficulties did not prevent that Martin was a Merry Friar. His contemporaries indicate his countenance cheerful and smiling.

 Another of his powers was clairvoyance. He is told that his sister Rosa had stolen a sum of money from her husband, and met with his brother, who immediately called the attention for what had done. His sister not left his astonishment, since no one knew of the theft. He also had powers to predict the own and others, life included the time of death.

 In line with the spirituality of the time, San Martin de Porres and its coetanea Santa Rosa de Lima and later the mortification of the body. Martin applied three disciplines each day: in the calves, buttocks and backs, according to a rigorous schedule and avoiding undermine your health for the fulfilment of other obligations. He had also two hair: an inner tunic of wool interwoven with bristles of horse and a close-fitting chain, possibly iron.

His concern for the poor was remarkable. It is known that the helpless waiting for him in the goal so you heal them of their illnesses or give them to eat. Martin was not displayed and do so in privacy. Martin charity is not limited to people, but they also projected the animals, especially when I saw them injured or lacking food. It had separate in his sister's House a place where housed sick, wounded and mangy dogs and cats. It seems that animals obeyed him by particular privilege of God. One of the best-known episodes of his life is that he did eat from the same plate to a dog, a parakeet and a cat.

 As it is of other saints of the time, Martin also suffered the apparitions and temptations of the devil. It is said that on one occasion down the stairs of the nursing willing to help one of his brothers when he met the demon under the stairs. Martin had to take the girdle that had and began whipping the demon that is outside of the convent. It also ascribed the gift of tongues, the gift of agility and the gift of fly. His companions, who watched it continuously, saw how her body is illuminated. Was it that could be in two places at once and penetrate the bodies without major resistance.

 To 1619 he began to suffer from cuartanas, very high fevers that were presented every four days; this evil is was acute him, although he continued to meet their obligations. With the passing of time, Martin was gaining not only fame, but it began to be feared. The popular imagery is embarrassing to supernatural events, some of them not witnessed but known from hearsay. For example, some assembler became frightened because very often it appeared without being seen. They began to run rumors that wandered by the cloister at night, surrounded by lights and glows. Also causing fear its unexpected appearances and their unexplained disappearances.

In October 1639, Martín de Porres fell ill with pestilencial tabardillo. He died on 3 November of that year. There was great commotion among the people, they doubled the campaigns on their behalf and popular devotion was so excessive that it forced to make a rapid burial. Despite the exemplary biography of mulatto Martín de Porres, become fundamental devotion of castes and people of color, the colonial society wouldn't it to the altar. 

His beatification process ended in 1962, under the papacy of Pablo VI.