Narcisa de Jesús Martillo Morán was born on 29 October 1832 in the small village of San José in
Nobol in
Ecuador as the sixth of nine children born to Pedro Martillo and Josefina Morán who were landowners. Her father was a great worker to the point that he amassed considerable wealth; he had a devotion to Ss.
Mary Anne de Paredes and
Hyacinth of Poland. Her mother died in 1838 and she took up much of the domestic chores as a result of this while an elder sister and teacher taught her to read and write as well as to sing and use the
guitar; she also learned how to sew and cook. The girl also turned a small room in her house into a domestic chapel. She received her
confirmation on 16 September 1839. Martillo frequented a small wood near her home for contemplation in solitude, while the
guava tree near which she went to is now a large pilgrimage destination. The girl also chose Mariana de Jesús as her
patron saint with whom she identified and strove to imitate in her own life. Martillo was known for being sweet and thoughtful with a peaceful and generous disposition; she was obedient to those around her and was well-known and loved in her village. Martillo was blonde with bright blue eyes and was strong and agile; she was also tall. The death of her father in January 1852 prompted her to relocate to
Guayaquil, where she lived with prominent nobles, and it was here that she began her mission of helping the poor and the sick and caring for abandoned children. It was also here that she took a job as a
seamstress in order to fund her mission as well as supporting her eight brothers and sisters. But she soon moved to
Cuenca for some months where she went from home to home and lived with whoever would take her in including
Mercedes de Jesús Molina, to allow herself greater time for silent contemplation and
penance. In 1865 her
spiritual director fell ill, and died in 1868, which was at the time the local bishop invited her to live with the
Discalced Carmelites, but discerned that her vocation was another. In June 1868 she relocated to
Lima in
Peru at the advice of her new
Franciscan spiritual director Pedro Gual where she lived with the
Dominicans at
Patrocinio despite not being a member of the
convent. It was here that Narcisa followed a demanding schedule of eight hours of prayer and contemplation which was offered in silence and solitude. She fasted very strictly and was often seen in a state of ecstasy. In late September 1869 she developed high fevers for which medical remedies could do little and she died as a result before midnight on 8 December 1869; upon her death a nun reported a pleasant and sweet odor filling the room that Martillo had died in. She died upon the opening of the
First Vatican Council. In 1995, her remains were deemed upon exhumation to be incorrupt and were transferred from Peru back to her homeland of Ecuador until 1972, when they came to the village of Nobol (which is also called
Narcissa de Jesús). On 22 August 1998, an altar containing her
reliquary was dedicated. ==Beatification and canonisation==