Century old tale of a lesbian couple who fooled the Spanish Catholic Church

Marcela Gracia Ibeas (left) and Elisa Sánchez Loriga (right). Picture: Picture: Wikipedia/Jose Sellier

Marcela Gracia Ibeas (left) and Elisa Sánchez Loriga (right). Picture: Picture: Wikipedia/Jose Sellier

Published Feb 20, 2018

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In 1901, a Spanish lesbian couple dressed as man and woman were married by an unknowing priest in a church.

The couple were married in the only same-sex ceremony to ever take place in the Spanish Catholic Church

To achieve it one of them had to adopt a male identity: Mario Sánchez, as listed on the marriage certificate. It is the first attempt at same-sex marriage in Spain for which there is recorded evidence.

Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sánchez Loriga — who played the part of Mario for their wedding day — met during teacher training in A Coruña.

Elisa played the part of Mario for the wedding day, but after their nuptials, the pair were forced to go on the run. Picture: Wikipedia/Jose Sellier

But their cunning plan was outed by a newspaper, who printed their wedding photo and exposed their lie, forcing the women to live on the run.

News of their wedding was spread to all Spain and to various European countries and the lovers then spent the rest of their lives dodging punishment from the authorities. 

Their matrimonial union took place more than 100 years before the law would permit gay Spanish people to get married. No one knows how their story ended, and their marriage was never annulled. 

Marcela Gracia Ibeas (left) and Elisa Sánchez Loriga (right). Picture: Wikipedia/Jose Sellier

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