ASCANIO, NICANORE, blessed. – Spanish Franciscan, martyred at Damascus on 10 July 1860. Born in Villarejo de Salvanco (Madrid) on 10 January 1814, he entered the Order in 1830, but was forced to return to secular life by the events in Spain in 1835. Later ordained a priest, he was parish priest of Villarejo and director of the community of Conceptionist nuns at Aranjuez until 1858, the year in which he was able to re-enter the Order and depart, the following January, for Damascus, where, during the Druze uprising, he was slaughtered for refusing to apostatize.
He was beatified together with seven companions (v. DAMASCO, MARTIRI di), by Pius XI, on 10 October 1926.
BIBL.: P. Paoli, I beati Emanuele Ruiz e i suoi sette compagni dell'Ordine dei Frati Minori, Martiri a Damasco, Rome 1926.