The article examines the hagiographic proposal of the "Catholic martyrs of the Resistance". By offering a reinterpretation of the miles Christi, this myth presented its heroes as models and witnesses, and established a dialogue with the Resistance. The hagiographic proposal of the "partisan-martyr", made especially by the organization ‘Azione cattolica’, was short-lived, and led to a strengthening of the role of the Church in post-World War II Italy. Starting in the early 1980s, the beatification of resisters such as Teresio Olivelli, Gino Pistoni, and Odoardo Focherini, gave new relevance to this category of martyrs, in a context characterized by polemics and debates about the legacy of the Resistance, the legitimacy of just wars, and the use of violence in the aftermath of the Gulf War. "Partisan saints" - portrayed as models of "disarmed" warriors - acquired a specific role in the debate within Catholic circles. They portrayed the pacifist and non-violent movement as the real heritage of the Resistance, against those who saw crusades as a central theme of Western history, and gave a different perspective on the relationship between the Church and the world.
Keywords: Resistance, Martyrdom, Hagiography, Civil Religion, Canonization Policy