The miracle of Calanda

VERY few people know today what which in its time were famous Cripple of " Calanda, Miguel " Juan Pellicer, a hefty fellow of twenty years and labriego of profession happened to.

Thanks to the work of doctor Francisco Ansón I know the events that took place more ago than 300 years in this zaragozano pueblecito.

He was Miguel Juan, a man of infantile spirit who, like all the villagers, professed an enormous faith to the Virgin of the Pillar.

An unfortunate day in which this one had loaded its car with wheat upset, and fell terribly upon one of its legs squashing it to it.

As of this moment, a continuous pilgrimage began by several places in which it could perhaps find a solution to his problem. First they took to Castellón, later to Valencia and finally it arrived at Zaragoza, after to have undergone the incomodidades of the carts and the ways of that time, that were not indeed the cure that its leg needed.

When it arrived at the Great Real Hospital of Zaragoza, next to his " Pilarica ", several doctors they saw him, and other so many left the idea of a possible treatment.

Before badly been of the leg that gangrenaba per moments, at that time the university professor of Surgery doctor Don Juan de Estanga, the surgeon Don Miguel Beltrán and another expert, decided to cut it four fingers below the knee.

Once amputated, its trunnion with the burning iron was cauterized, used in such occasions, and later a prótesis of wood was placed him.

The lack customary and the pain, did that Miguel Juan, took off when it went to thank it to the Virgin, by to him to have conserved the life in spite of everything.

As he were very poor began to request to the devotos in the door of the church, and meanwhile to alleviate its annoyances the trunnion with the oil of the lamps were greased that were ignited on the foot of the altar of the Virgin. When the surgeon of so practical knew, him rega6nó by inadmissible, since it would delay plus the healing of the wound, but before the terquedad of that man, left him by impossible and the patient continued doing his will. After these events, he returned to Calanda and as he lacked average his family and he saw myself so young and strong, he did not want to be a hindrance for them and he helped them in the daily tasks, getting even to transport installment coats, in damage of his own health.

A day and in the presence of the soldiers of spends the night, while it slept in its camp bed, with a diminished shelter under which it only showed its whole leg, it entered its mother from the fourth contiguous one, where there was a social gathering composed by relatives and friends, and saw the light of the oil lamp two legs, no, Pensó that the light deceived it, or who that man was not Miguel, but making sure that he was its son, began to give to shouts of astonishment and joy. Immediately familiar and neighboring a fort and aromatic scent approached the bed, perceiving themselves. The miracle had become patent.

From that moment the leg of the miracle was touched by hundreds and hundreds of people, and even by own King Felipe IV, who knelt down before Pellicer kissing it with fervor.

It is possible to think to us today about hypothetical the supposed one of a transplant, but peculiarly the leg, was the same one that had cut to him, because in her there were unequivocal signals of the mordedura of a dog, scars of the mount and until of a grain that had left to him in the later part, before the accident, and the circular track of the amputation.

The book of doctor Ansón continues its ample and detailed story of the judicial diligences that were carried out, the sworn declarations of witnesses, doctors, surgeons and ecclesiastics, notaries and several witnesses of so prodigious event

For me there is no a so authentic miracle, not to admit it would be like denying an historical fact, to deny the existence of Alexander Magno or Napoleón. Before so concrete miracle possible doubts do not fit. We can think about extraordinary and inexplicable treatments, or in revived that left a cataleptic state, but before the fact that occupies to us, he is desirable that does not happen like a that incredulous surgeon who described as frauds and fantasmagorías to the events and who stops to see the certain thing of the case; leg touched of Pellicer, shook vigorously it, struck it, and to top it all, removed estílete and poor man nailed it to Miguel Juan, who gave such shout of fright that made leave running to the livened up surgeon, before great booings of the presents

Ansón, talks about in several passages to the student Marianólogo S.J. Nazarío Father Perez, whom I had the luck to know when I was student of Bachelor and Medicine in Valladolid. Entered years, short and with strong myopia, he was santo, his wide sleeve was so, that if not outside by the little minute what dedicated to you in the confession, her customer had occupied the whole apple where the church of the P.J. was located tells that a very well-known student (a certain Vélez I create) in certain occasion in which it was hoping to that Nazario father called to him, heard a hoarse voice that said Aproxímate " to him Vélez ", of the scare almost desmaya.

Lopez Anglada, National prize of World-wide Literature and of Mystical Poetry (December, 1995), told me that a day, in the long corridor that both united buildings known like " the Luis " very badly illuminated, in whom works were being done, heard a great roar, a voice distressed and to the time is gone of planks and wood that came down. It returned on his steps, because it did not see anybody. Suddenly it saw the father Perez. It asked to him " became much damage father? ". Nothing son, nothing, " the Virgin raised to me " and continued its way as if nothing...

Anglada saw the cavern at great length and it did not understand the windy exit, the habitual positioning of his heavy glasses, nor their tranquillity.

Manuel Carlón Guzmán.