Rafael Arnáiz Barón

Who was Rafael Arnáiz Barón?

Rafael Arnáiz Barón, is a Spanish saint of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a Trappist conventual oblate at the time of his death and he is considered one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century.

Arnáiz, known in the monastery as Brother María Rafael, was born on 9 April 1911, in the city of Burgos, in north-central Spain. He was the first of four sons born to a well-to-do, deeply Catholic family. As a boy he went to several schools run by the Jesuit Fathers. By his adolescence it was clear that Arnáiz had human, intellectual, artistic and spiritual gifts. These qualities were well-balanced in him, producing an open, positive, joyful attitude to the world of persons and things, characterized by exuberant good humor, respect and humility.

After Arnáiz graduated from high school in 1930, he sought a deeper commitment to Christ began in 1930. As a graduation present, he spent his summer vacation with his Uncle Leopoldo and Aunt María, the Duke and Duchess of Maqueda, at their residence near Ávila. It marked the beginning of a deep and lasting friendship among them. At their encouragement, Arnáiz made his first contact that September with the Trappist Abbey of San Isidro de Dueñas. He was attracted to the abbey's silent beauty and by the soaring melodies of their Gregorian chant, such as the Salve Regina sung at Compline. Three years later, on 15 April 1934, having finished architectural studies, he entered the community as a postulant, then became a novice, convinced that this was his true religious calling.