Saint Dominguito del Val (died c. 1250) was, allegedly, a choirboy ritually murdered by Jews in Zaragoza (Saragossa). Dominguito's story
is related to theblood libel
against Jews that grew in prominence in the 12th and 13th
centuries of the Middle Ages, and contributed to antisemitic incidents. Saint Dominguito is
no longer included on the official Roman Catholic liturgical calendar; however,
there is still a chapel dedicated to him in the cathedral of Zaragoza.
There exists little historical evidence of Dominguito aside from the stories
and legends built around him; it is difficult to ascertain how much, if any,
his story is true.
According to the story,
the Jews of Zaragoza plotted to kill every Christian in Zaragoza. The magic
ritual to do so required a Christian heart. They captured the innocent
Dominguito on Good Friday,
re-enacted Jesus's trial by Pilate and Caiaphas in
celebration with Dominguito as Jesus, then ritually murdered him viacrucifixion. Luckily for the Christians, the
blackguard sent to finish the ritual stopped by a church for unclear reasons
and was found with the boy's heart. He confessed, and all the Jews of Zaragoza
were executed due to their alleged plot.
Dominguito del Val is
considered the patron saint of altar boys, acolytes, and choirboys.
Dominguito's legend
The historical basis for
Dominguito is unclear. No medieval references to the legend have been found;
the first texts that recount his tale date from the sixteenth century.
According to them, King Alfonso the Wise wrote
the original rendition of the story in 1250, saying "We have heard it said
that some very cruel Jews, in memory of the Passion of
Our Lord on Good Friday,
kidnapped a Christian boy and crucified him."
According to the legend,
Dominguito was born in Zaragoza and was admitted as a cathedral altar-boy and
chorister because of his special qualities of great piety and purity, and for
his beautiful voice. Each day he would go from his house to the church to
assist in the Mass, to
learn chants and study in the parish school. In his journey there and back he
had to pass by a Jewish area of narrow side-streets. The Jews were greatly
displeased when Domingo and his companions sang hymns to Christ in the streets,
and decided to try to make him disappear.
A Jewish fortune-teller
announced that if the heart of a Christian and a consecrated Host were
thrown into the river, every follower of Christ who drank from those waters
would die. Being fanatics, the Jews then paid an evil woman to go take
communion and then slip the Sacred Host in a handkerchief. She did so and
brought them the Bread. Then they went to a very poor and hungry Christian man
and offered him a bag of gold if he would give them the heart of one of his
children. However, the man was a good Christian; he pretended to accept the
deal and, while he had one of his children scream desperately as though his
heart were being taken out, he killed a pig and took out its heart, which is
very similar to that of a human being. He sold the still bleeding heart to the
Jews instead for the bag of gold.
The legend goes on to
say that the Jews threw the pig's heart and the holy consecrated host into the
river that ran through the city, and that in a few days a terrible epidemic
developed among the pigs in the surrounding areas, many of which died. The Jews
realized that the man who sold them the heart had deceived them. Therefore they
decided to get hold of the heart of a Christian child themselves so that there
were no mistakes.
They had already
obtained another holy consecrated host through the hands of a sacristan and so on Good Friday they
decided to sacrifice a child, reenacting the tortures with which in another
time the Jews of old killed Jesus Christ. So as Dominguito del Val was walking
by one of the Jewish houses in his acolyte's and choirboy's cassock, some great
big hands took him by the neck and covered his face with a mantle, blocking his
mouth with cloth so he could not say a word. The Jews then mockingly acted out
the tribunal that condemned Jesus; one Jew played Pilate, another Caiaphas, and another Anias.
They asked him if he wanted to carry on being a follower of Christ and he
exclaimed that, yes, he would prefer to die rather than betray the religion of
Our Lord Jesus. So they sentenced him to death and crucified him.
The Jews then removed
his heart and sent one of their number to go with the Consecrated Host and the
boy's heart and throw them both in the river. All the Christians that drank
from the river would then die. But they had no idea what was about to happen to
them.
The man then decided to
enter a church and pretend to pray — according to the legend, "in order
that no-one should be suspicious of him." Kneeling there on a pew, he
opened the book in which he was carrying the Sacred Host. However, some ladies
who were nearby saw with wonder that brilliant light was emanating from this
book. They supposed that this man must be a saint and went to inform the
priests of this marvel. They came and asked him to show them the book and there
they found the Sacred Host. For some reason, this was suspicious and the ladies
then called the authorities who searched him and found Dominguito's heart.
This rogue, on seeing
himself discovered, was filled with dread and promised that if they spared him
he would denounce all those who had committed the crime. So he was spared. The
authorities went to the houses of the Jews and seized them all. They died on
the gallows as partners in crime, except for the one who denounced them, who
paid for his sin with life imprisonment.
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