Lesbian couple tricked Spain's Catholic Church into marrying them in 1901
Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sánchez Loriga spent the rest of their lives on the run after tricking a Spanish Catholic Church into marrying them.
104 years before same-sex nuptials were legalised in the country, the Galician church's only same sex ceremony was held in 1901, the Daily Mail reported.
The priests had no idea that both the bride and groom were female because Elisa dressed as a man and called herself Mario.
The couple met while on a teacher training session in A Coruña. However, after Marcela's mother learned of the relationship, she sent her daughter to live in Madrid.
That didn't stop this budding relationship from growing. Historian Narciso de Gabriel stated the couple started working at schools nearby each other.
Soon Marcela announced she would be marrying her cousin from London, Mario, who was actually Elisa. Playing the part, Mario was baptised before marrying Marcela.
After the wedding, a Galician newspaper exposed their truth and even posted a photo of them on their wedding day.
La cinta en la que trabaja la triunfadora de los últimos Goya Isabel Coixet sobre el primer matrimonio de lesbianas en España, el único oficiado por la Iglesia. Se celebró el 8 de junio de 1901 y unió a las maestras gallegas Marcela Gracia y Elisa Sánchez https://t.co/ZOKSwMKojF pic.twitter.com/ZVjXZWFFjD
— Gabeiras & Asociados (@ejgabeiras) February 16, 2018
The newlyweds fled to Porto and continued on all the way to Buenos Aires, fearing extradition from Portugal.
It is also believed that Marcel was pregnanct by a man unknown before the marriage and gave birth to a baby girl in Porto.
What eventually happened to them is not yet known.
The couple's extraordinary story will soon be made into a film by Isabel Coixet, who told the BBC: "When I think about these two women and the courage it took for one of them to pretend to be a man, it was unbelievably brave."
