A new documentary focuses on the discreet and constant devotion that the venerable Alexia González-Barros arouses in Madrid, as forty years have passed since her death. Titled Flores para Alexia, the cinematic work premiered on December 5th, coinciding with the anniversary of the death of the young Spanish woman, declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2018.
The documentary arises from a striking fact: Alexia’s tomb is never without flowers. Day after day, anonymously and without publicity, faithful from all walks of life approach the Eucharistic Temple of San Martín de Tours, right in the center of Madrid, to leave this simple gesture of affection and prayer.
A brief life marked by faith
Alexia González-Barros was the youngest of seven siblings from a deeply Catholic family. At just 13 years old, she began to suffer pains in her cervicals that led to the diagnosis of a sarcoma de Ewing, an aggressive bone cancer common in adolescents. During ten months of treatments, operations, and hospitalizations, she lived a true via crucis that she faced with serenity, faith, and a joy that surprised those around her.
With full awareness of the seriousness of her illness and her impending death, Alexia repeatedly expressed her desire to reach heaven. She frequented the sacrament of confession, received the anointing of the sick, and was confirmed before the usual age. She received Communion daily and offered a constant prayer for those who prayed for her: “Lord, to all who pray for me, return the prayers multiplied”.
She also had a simple and endearing devotion to her guardian angel, whom she familiarly called “Hugo”.
From a peripheral cemetery to the city center
Initially buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Madrid, it was soon seen as convenient to transfer her remains to a more accessible place for the numerous faithful who wished to pray before her tomb. With the authorization of the Archdiocese of Madrid and the Vatican authorities, in April 2004 her remains were transferred to the Eucharistic Temple of San Martín de Tours.
There, a golden cedar urn was placed, attached to the temple wall. Since then, one detail has not changed: there are always flowers at her feet.
Nameless flowers, faith without noise
This fact was the starting point for director Pedro A. Loma, who throughout 2024 repeatedly visited the temple to observe and gather testimonies without arranging interviews or seeking prominence.
Its authors explain that Flores para Alexia is “a human look at small everyday gestures: flowers that arrive without a signature, visits that no one announces, a devotion that needs no publicity.” The film shows how Alexia’s memory remains alive through a simple, silent, and persevering faith, right in the heart of a big city.
Source: Aciprensa