Today, November 6, is the memorial of Saint Nuno Álvares Pereira.
Carmelite lay brother and Portuguese military leader (“The Holy Constable”).
Nuno was born in Portugal in 1360. He was the illegitimate son of Brother Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira, Hospitalier Knight of St. John of Jerusalem and prior of Crato and Donna Iria Gonçalves do Carvalhal. A year later, he was legitimized by royal decree and at age 13 became a knight. He got married at 16 and had three children.
Nuno distinguished himself in battle at age 13, fighting against the Castilians in their invasion of 1373. When King Ferdinand I of Portugal died in 1383, took the side of João of Aviz (later John I, king of Portugal), the illegitimate son of Ferdinand’s father, Peter I, against the claims of Ferdinand’s daughter Beatriz, whose marriage to John I of Castile posed a threat to Portugal’s independence.
In 1384, John I invaded Portugal. Despite the fact that most of his family favored Castile, Nuno continued to support João and defeated the Castilians in the Battle of Atoleiros.
Nuno’s military expertise was complemented by his love for the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. To show his devotion to the Blessed Mother, Nuno fasted. With his own money, Nuno built churches and monasteries, among them a Carmelite house built in Lisbon in fulfillment of a vow.
After his wife’s death, Nuno gave away his riches and entered the Carmelite Order as a lay brother. The fame of his sanctity immediately grew. He helped and served the poor, and dedicated his life to prayer, penance, and the practice of virtue.
Despite his stature as the former commander of the King of Portugal, chief officer of the army, and founder/benefactor of the same Carmelite community that he established, Nuno refused any privilege that came his way, insisting on the lowest rank possible.
Nuno died of natural causes in 1431 at age 71. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1918. Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in 2009.