In Barcelona in 1936, a horrifying spectacle drew crowds: the corpses of nuns, dragged from their graves and coffins and put on public display. Even the dead were not left in peace. These women had died and been buried before the violence began. Now their remains were exposed outside religious buildings, photographed and filmed. Following the military uprising of July 1936, a wave of anticlerical violence swept through much of Republican-held Spain. Revolutionary militias and mobs burned churches, looted convents, destroyed religious images, and murdered priests and members of religious orders. Around 6,800 Catholic clergy and members of religious orders were killed during the war, including 283 nuns. Much of the killing occurred in its opening months. In August 1936 alone, more than 2,000 were killed. Follow @Vanguard_WW2 for overlooked stories from history.