Diego José Baptista Rodríguez de Orellano

He was linked to important events in the History of Cuba.

He was born in the town of San Salvador de Bayamo, in the year 1778, in a house located on San Juan Street (today José Martí). He was the son of Don Simón Baptista y Ayala, notary archivist of the Ecclesiastical Curia, and Doña María de la Concepción Ramírez.

From a very young age he entered the priesthood, and possibly obtained his degree from the Seminary San Basilio el Magno of Santiago de Cuba. On October 2, 1815, upon the death of priest Francisco Rodríguez, he took the position of rector priest and chaplain of the Main Parish Church. With great pride he presented himself as Father Baptista, Cuban priest.

Due to his talent and devotion he achieved great fame, being one of the most famous sacred orators in the province. By 1820 he already possessed the title of Doctor in Sacred Canons and was noted as a beneficiary priest.

He had a spirit open to the reformist ideas that were beginning to emerge in that era and the affability of his character made him a true spiritual director of Bayamo families. To the aforementioned qualities was added another, his patriotism, in the pulpit, in the confessional, in his family visits, in simple conversations, more than the priest one could see the patriot.

Father Baptista's patriotic spirit led Perucho Figueredo and Manuel Muñoz Cedeño to contact him to play within the Church the hymn La Bayamesa as if it were a praise to God. They chose June 11, 1868 for the event within the framework of the mass and procession of Corpus Christi. Of course, such passionate musical notes caught the attention of lieutenant governor Julián Udaeta who called the musicians Figueredo and Muñoz to inquire about the rhythm they had made known.

From the pulpit of the Bayamo church he advocated for armed struggle against the Spanish Government. During the processions he evidenced his love for the people and the symbols created by the Creoles. Many times he confronted the fury of the colonial authorities for the way Father Baptista publicly admonished them for any breach of canonical precepts.

In this way, precisely, he has been considered the true precursor of the liberating flame of October 1868, it has even been said that he was the father of these events, since that brave and romantic generation was the work of his hands.

Father Baptista celebrated with enthusiasm the taking of the city of Bayamo on October 20, 1868 by the forces of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. The leader of the Revolution in his decrees stipulated the attendance of the troops at the Church, in the confidence that the priesthood of the same transmitted a human, just, and revolutionary message. On November 8, 1868 he received Céspedes with honors of a head of state and blessed the flag of the Revolution, designed by Céspedes.

Once the city was burned, in January 1869, Father Baptista did not go to the wilderness due to his advanced age, as he was then 90 years old.

General Conde de Valmaseda considered him a traitor, and transferred him to the city of Santiago de Cuba. The colonial authorities wanted to bring criminal charges against him for the events that occurred in the Bayamo Church of frankly independence content. But it did not prosper because the authorities feared that the trial scene would become a denunciation of the abuses of the government from the lips of a man so cultured and knowledgeable of many of their own inner workings, of which he had been confessor.

On July 20, 1872 before notary Rafael Ramírez he made a will through which he declared universal heiress Doña Angela María Llorente, to whom he bequeathed the rural estates Cayo Largo of eight caballerías of land and the San Francisco pasture of 25 caballerías, located in the district of El Dátil, municipality of Bayamo.

The long-lived Creole priest died of consumption in the city of Santiago de Cuba on February 14, 1876, at the age of 98 years. His burial constituted a great march of the people toward the Cemetery of Santa Ifigenia.