Peter Sanz was a Catalan Dominican friar and missionary bishop who served in China during the early 18th century. Born in Ascó in 1680, he joined the Dominican Order in 1697 and was ordained a priest in 1704. After spending two years in the Philippines learning Chinese, he began a ministry in China that spanned more than three decades. He eventually served as the Vicar Apostolic of Fujian, having been consecrated a bishop in 1730.
Mission and death
While working in China, Sanz was apprehended by imperial officials in 1741 alongside four other friars. Following a period of imprisonment and torture in Fuzhou, he was executed by beheading on May 26, 1747. His death occurred as part of a series of persecutions targeting the missionary group.
Veneration
The Catholic Church recognizes him as a saint. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 and later canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 as one of the Martyr Saints of China. His feast day is observed on May 26, though some Dominican traditions follow a July 9 commemoration.