Bl. Berenguer de Peralta

A slightly different version of this legend states that the choice of a new candidate for bishop so divided the chapter, which dragged the election out indefinitely, and was also a source of division among the clergy itself, that during one of the gatherings, the angel himself was said to have named a candidate to succeed the late Guillermo. In this way, the angel invited voters to cast their ballots for Brother Berenguer de Peralta.

Considering that in the midst of dignity, business with the world and friction with the nobility, his salvation might be in jeopardy, the bishop-elect asked God to take him with Him before his consecration. According to some sources, he was to assume the bishop’s office in May 1256, but some scholars claim that he did not live to be ordained due to his untimely death. He died in the reputation of holiness on October 2, 1256, in Lérida. 

His cult began shortly after his death. It developed especially in Lérida Cathedral. In its transept was his tomb, to which the faithful made pilgrimages. It is worth noting that in the history of this diocese, Berenguer was the only bishop to enjoy the veneration of the Blessed. He was mainly present at the Cathedral and in the Diocese of Lérida. Judging by the deed, he was called a saint ("Sant Berenguer") as early as 1299, although most documents list him as blessed. The surviving liturgical books also attest to this. In 1370 there were special services over his grave. Masses were celebrated daily at it, during which the deacon would not only enshrine the altar, but also the tomb. Similarly, in some processions inside the cathedral, the bishop's tomb was one of the mandatory stops. The door of the north transept arm of Lérida's Seu Vella Cathedral, closest to his tomb, is also named after the saintly bishop.

A legend from the 16th century has survived that Bishop Juan de Peralta, an indirect descendant of the Blessed, wishing to venerate his relics, demanded that his tomb be opened, causing blood to start flowing from the tomb, leaving traces of a miracle. 

After the capture of the city in 1707 in the War of the Spanish Succession by King Philip V of Spain, the cathedral was converted into a warehouse and the tomb disappeared. Thus, his cult died out. 

It is also worth noting that it is likely that this cult was never officially approved by the Catholic Church, which may be evidenced by the fact that in the official catalog of saints and blesseds of the Order of Preachers there is no mention of Bl. Berenguer de Peralta. At the same time, however, it should be mentioned that in older Dominican hagiographic lexicons he is mentioned under the date of October 2, the anniversary of his birth for heaven. As an example, one can mention Dni roczne Dni Roczne Swiętych, Błogosławionych, Wielebnych y Pobożnych Sług Boskich Zakonu Kaznodzieyskiego, S. Oyca Dominika by Polish Dominican friar, Michał Siejkowski (1695-1752), published in 1743 in Cracow, or Année dominicaine ου vies des saints, des bien heureux , des martyrs et des autres personnes illustres ou recommandables par leur piété. De l'un et de l'autre sexe de l’Ordre des Frères-Prêcheurs distribuées suivant les jours de l'année from 1708 (in vol. 10). However, in the 17th century, when the cloister grth of the Santo Domingo Convention in Lima was decorated with ceramic images, his cult was still very strong.

In iconography, Bl. Berenguer is mainly depicted with an angel. In some images, a Dominican is shown receiving a miter from the hand of an angel. But simply a monastic habit is given as his attribute, while his episcopal status is evidenced by a pallium as well as a pastoral (here also in the form of a cross). In the habit of the Order of St. Dominic he was to be featured at least in the Lérida cathedral. Although at this point it should also be noted that some researchers cast doubt on his affiliation with the Order of Preachers. The inscription preserved from the tomb is also silent about the blessed bishop's Dominican past, referring to him only as "canon" and "bishop-elect."