Juan de Villagarcía (died 1564) was a Spanish Dominican

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 from Valladolid

Valladolid

Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...

, known as the witness to one of the statements of confession and recantation by Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...

.

Life

He was a pupil of Bartolomé de Carranza, and came to England with Carranza, brought by Philip II of Spain

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

. He was a Fellow and Praelector in Theology of Magdalen Hall, Oxford in 1555.

He was Regius Professor of Divinity

Regius Professor of Divinity

The Regius Professorship of Divinity is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Oxford and at the University of Cambridge.Both chairs were founded by Henry VIII...

 at the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 in 1555. He was the recipient of degrees of B.D. and D.D. at Oxford, in 1555 and 1558 respectively.

He first met and discussed with Cranmer at Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

, on 31 December 1555. On January 1 1556, in another discussion based on patristic texts, Cranmer was willing to sign the first of his statements, on papal supremacy, conditional on the history of the Council of Nicaea

Council of Nicaea

Council of Nicaea can refer to:* First Council of Nicaea in AD 325* Second Council of Nicaea in AD 787* The Council of Nicaea * The Council of Nicaea...

. Later in January they clashed on much worse terms, after the news of Cranmer's disgrading as Archbishop had reached England. They met again at the Bocardo Prison

Bocardo Prison

The Bocardo Prison in Oxford, England existed until 1771. Its origins were medieval, and the most celebrated prisoners were the Protestant martyrs Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley in 1555.-History:...

 adjacent to St Michael at the Northgate

St Michael at the Northgate

St Michael at the North Gate is a church in Cornmarket Street, at the junction with Ship Street, in central Oxford, England. The church is so-called because this is the location of the original north gate of Oxford when it was surrounded by a city wall....

, when Villagarcía and John Harpsfield

John Harpsfield

-Life:Harpsfield was educated in Winchester College and New College, Oxford . He was perpetual fellow of New College from 1534 until 1551 and was appointed the first Regius Professor of Greek...

 interrogated Cranmer in the middle of February. On 26 February there was another statement, written in Latin and probably by Villagarcía, that was signed by Cranmer and witnessed by Villagarcía and Henry Syddall. This was the fifth statement written or signed by Cranmer; he himself spoke of it as a return to the Catholic faith, and asked for sacramental absolution. On 20 March, the day of Cranmer's execution, Villagarcía accompanied him to the University Church of St Mary the Virgin

University Church of St Mary the Virgin

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...

, where Cranmer preached, and exchanged words in Latin with him afterwards. These are variously reported in Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, more accurately Acts and Monuments, is an account from a Protestant point of view of Christian church history and martyrology...

and Cranmer's Recantacyons, but concerned Cranmer's denial of papal supremacy from the pulpit.

On his return to Spain, Villagarcía found that Carranza was in trouble with the Spanish Inquisition

Spanish Inquisition

The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...

 for alleged Lutheranism

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

, and his name was linked to the charges.