The Incredible Story of How St. John of the Cross's Papers Survived the Spanish Civil War

Aleteia ^ | May 7, 2015 | MEGHAN FERRARA

[NYer]

It may seem improbable to consider that St. John of the Cross, the Spanish Civil War, and JRR Tolkien have anything in common. However, all three share one important connection: the South African poet Roy Campbell, and therein lies a tale of intrigue, bravery and faith.

This remarkable narrative is set against the upheaval of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930’s. There was much unrest in Spain leading up to the elections of February 1936, as ordinary Spaniards from various factions sought to oust the Republican junta. This tension evolved into full-blown riots that swept through the entire country. Demonstrations soon turned virulently anticlerical and resulted in the destruction of churches and persecution of priests, monks, and others in the consecrated life. 

It was no longer safe to publicly express one’s religious vows. By the end of the War, twelve bishops, 4,184 priests, 2,365 monks and approximately 300 nuns made the ultimate sacrifice for the Church.

It was amid this peril that Roy Campbell and his family converted to the Catholic faith, though this journey had been years in the making.

Early Years in South Africa and Oxford

Born in 1901, Campbell spent much of his youth in South Africa. He arrived at Oxford in 1919 to begin his collegiate studies. The poet enjoyed a meteoric rise to success in the English literary world and by the age of 22 his works were compared to those of T.S. Elliot of whom he was a contemporary along with Dylan Thomas, Edith Sitwell, and Percy Wyndham Lewis.

Campbell also counted George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, T S Eliot, Evelyn Waugh, J.R.R Tolkien and C S Lewis among his friends. These friendships were a defining characteristic of his professional career as well as his personal life. J.R.R. Tolkien’s first impression of Campbell proved to be particularly memorable. One night in 1944, he observed the poet secluded in the dark corner of a pub peering intently at C.S. Lewis and listening to his lively conversation. This encounter vividly reminded Tolkien, in the midst of writing The Lord of the Rings, of the enigmatic Aragorn whom the hobbits meet in a similar fashion at the beginning of the trilogy. Campbell’s previous experiences and adventures heavily influenced the further development of this pivotal character.

A Dangerous Time To Be Catholic

The Campbell family, which grew to include daughters Anna and Teresa, moved to Barcelona in the autumn of 1933 after living in Provence for several years. It was during this time that the family began to convert to the Catholic faith. They moved to Altea, near Alicante, in May 1934. It was here that the whole family was formally baptized into the Catholic Church in June 1935. By 1936 the Campbells had moved to Toledo. Little did they imagine that their newfound faith would be severely tested in the months ahead.

By this point, Spain was embroiled in a full-blown civil war and it was a dangerous time to be Catholic. Nonetheless, Campbell and his family befriended the Carmelite monastery in Toledo and in March of 1936, the monks briefly took refuge in his home. Then, on July 21st, Republican forces marched on the city. The Carmelites again sought assistance from the Campbells. This time, however, it was not for their own safety, but to protect the Carmelite archives, including the personal papers of St. John of the Cross. Campbell agreed and that night a trunk with the precious legacy was delivered to him.
 

Begging the intercession of St. John of the Cross

 

Several days later, on July 31st, the militia arrived to search the Campbell home. Anticipating such a visit, Roy and Mary had already taken the precaution of concealing all their crucifixes and religious images.

 

The Campbells’ greatest concern, however, was the discovery of the Carmelite trunk. During the soldiers’ presence in his house, Roy implored the intercession of St. John of the Cross,  promising to translate the saint’s works into English if the lives of his wife and daughters were spared.

 

Campbell’s prayers were answered. The search was not especially meticulous, the militia even leaning their rifles on the trunk at one point without seeking to examine its contents. The significance of the rescue of these documents became evident as the Campbells observed the republican forces burn the rest of the 30,000 works of the Carmelite library.

 

Campbell honored his promise to St. John and his translations were received to great popular and critical acclaim. As a reward for their courage, Cardinal Gomá, the Catholic Primate of Spain, confirmed the Campbells, though even this held great risk and had to be undertaken in the secrecy of night.

[NYer]

Ping!

[jocon307]

Fascinating. So...the commies were on the side of the church, is that right? And the monarchy, no? Such a strange war. I”m glad Spain got their king back.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

I’m not a Roman Catholic, but one of my hobbies is collecting old documents. Why some made it through time and others didn’t can be interesting. Thanks for posting.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

For those interested, John of the Cross was late sixteenth century. I didn’t see it mentioned in the article.

[Former Fetus]

At the time of the Spanish civil war, the commies and the republicans were on the same side. My dad used to tell me about this day when a mob attacked a nun in the streets of Madrid in front of his dad’s hardware store. Very soon they had stripped her naked and were beating her. My grandmother came out, covered her with her coat, and took her inside the store. They had to barricade the door, to keep the mob out, but the Lord protected them and the business was not burned.

[buwaya]

The commies were in the Republican coalition, which was nearly entirely made up of leftist parties - socialists, unions, anarchists and communists. For the most part the communists very early took over the military leadership and ran the war and internal security.
In the case of Toledo specifically the militia sent there from Madrid was largely communist. They were mainly concerned with besieging the Alcazar, the Spanish Army cavalry school.
Highly recommended - Siege of the Alcazar -Cecil Eby
- The Battle for Spain - Antony Beevor
Both are non-academic works, gripping tales really.

[Coleus]

Hi Jocon307, how are you? Haven’t seen you in a long time.

[jocon307]

Hi Coleus, I have been here! Good to see you too, we must have been on different threads.

[Salvation]

The Incredible Story of How St. John of the Cross's Papers Survived the Spanish Civil War

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Ten Steps of Love through the Dark Night -- St. John of the Cross [Catholic Caucus]
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DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church
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Counting All Else as Lost: The Poetic Life of St. John of the Cross [Catholic Caucus]
Free St. John of the Cross Program [free mp3 audio files series by Fr. Thomas Dubay from EWTN]
St. John of the Cross

[annalex]

the republican forces burn the rest of the 30,000 works of the Carmelite library.

This, mind you, were not some medieval yahoos of the "dark ages" but supposedly products of enlightened modernity.

As we hear the liberal monkey chorus praising the militant left of the 20th century winning victories over "fascism", remember this fact.

[kearnyirish2]

Check out “The Last Crusade” (Warren H. Carroll) as well; a well-done work. The communist government was the legally-elected government at the time, and Franco never forgot that (hence his refusal to hold elections).

[kearnyirish2]

In “The Last Crusade” there are pictures which were edited by the leftist government a few years back to remove hammer and sickle flags from crowds; they wanted to whitewash history, but those pictures exist. Statues of Jesus used for target practice and such.

Viva Franco! Viva Cristo Rey!

[KC Burke]

I will check out that work.

[annalex]

A couple posts of mine on Franco:

Francisco Franco, grandfather, painter
Testament of Francisco Franco

[kearnyirish2]

Very nice; thank you.

In “The Last Crusade”, the author describes how as the war ended, Franco entered a cathedral, laid his sword on the altar, and said he would never use it again except to defend Spain. He kept his word, while we fought in Korea, Vietnam, the Caribbean - and Britain fought in Malaya, and France fought in Indochina and Algeria, and Porugal fought in Angola.

It also gives touching excerpts of a speech Franco gave when a deal was made with the US after WWII to allow them to put bases in Spain (in a Cold War context); he laments that the US realized only so late what he had dealt with in Spain so long before.

[vladimir998]

“So...the commies were on the side of the church, is that right?”

No.

Read: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Crusade-Warren-H-Carroll/dp/0931888670/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431386393&sr=1-5&keywords=last+crusade This is so exciting a history of the first year of the Spanish Civil War that it reads like a novel.

[Grateful2God]

Praise God that his writings and those of St. Teresa of Avila have been with us. I’m afraid they’re a bit over my head, although I get the basics: but for millions throughout the centuries they have been a source of great spiritual consolation and sanctity! What a wonderful gift!

[johngrace]

Great story. Thanks for Sharing.