Who were the Georgia Martyrs? Five Franciscan friars to be beatified in Savannah

On Saturday, five Franciscan friars will be beatified in Savannah, Georgia, nearly four and a half centuries after their deaths.

Known collectively as the “Georgia Martyrs”, the five were Friar Pedro de Corpa, Friar Blas Rodríguez, Friar Miguel de Añón, Friar Antonio de Badajóz and Friar Francisco de Veráscola. Originally from Spain, they were sent across the Atlantic to serve as missionaries.

Around the turn of the 17th century, five Franciscan missions were located in Guale territory. The Guale were an Indigenous people who lived primarily in what is now coastal Georgia. The five missions were known as Tolomato, Tupiqui, Guale, Asao and Talapo/Tulufina, according to the Georgia Martyrs website.