History of the Catholic Church in Spain who was active in many different modes of religion, including organizing convents and new congregations, and developing the theology of the Counter Reformation in Spain that permanently minimized the Protestant influence there. In the 1620s Spain debated who should be the nation's patron saint- the current patron Saint James Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer) or a combination of him and the newly canonized Saint Teresa of Ávila. Teresa's promoters said Spain faced new challenges, especially the threat of Protestantism, and the declining society at home and needed a modern patron saint who understood these problems and could lead the Spanish
Saint Marciana of Toledo literature and would therefore be familiar to the people of Toledo. It is no great surprise that St. Marciana is the patron saint who is “invoked to cure wounds”, considering the way in which she became a martyr and a saint. According to some, since St. Marciana was wounded several times by different wild animals, she has endured this tribulation and is therefore able to be called upon to assist in the healing of others’ wounds and empathize with the wounded on earth. Although a patron saint of Toledo, there has been speculation that the Marciana of Toledo is actually