BLESSED ALVAREZ was born in Zamora, Spain in the fourteenth century. He joined the Dominican Order in Cordova and went on to become a greatly admired preacher as well as a spiritual advisor in the court of King Henry III of Castille. On his return to Cordova, Alvarez founded a monastery called Escalaceli (ladder of heaven) which gained great renown as a center of spirituality and learning as well as a reputation for strict observance of the Dominican Rule.