Bl. Alvarez of Corova

Blessed Álvaro (Alvarez) of Córdoba was born in either Lisbon, Portugal, or Córdoba, Spain. He entered the Dominican convent in Córdoba in 1368 and distinguished himself early by his learning, asceticism, and powerful preaching. Renowned throughout Spain and Italy, he became confessor and spiritual adviser to Queen Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, and tutor to the young King John II of Castile. Through his counsel and example, he worked to reform abuses at court and encourage a deeper Christian life among the nobility.

Desiring greater solitude and reform within his Order, he eventually withdrew from court life and founded the Dominican monastery of Scala Coeli (Escalaceli, meaning "Ladder of Heaven") in the Sierra Morena near Córdoba. The monastery became an important center of prayer, observance, and religious devotion, contributing to the reform movement within the Dominican Order in Spain.

Blessed Álvaro was a strong defender of the true papacy during the Western Schism and actively opposed the antipope Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna), helping to strengthen loyalty to the legitimate pope in Spain. By the time of his death in 1430, he was widely regarded as a holy priest and reformer, celebrated for his preaching, teaching, penance, and devotion to Christ's Passion.

His longstanding veneration was confirmed in 1741.