Juan de Medrano
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juan de Medrano | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Juan de Medrano at the Church of the Virgin of Miracles in Ágreda. | |
| Born | Juan de Medrano |
| Died | Ágreda, Soria |
| Occupation | Shoemaker |
| Years active | 16th century |
| Known for | Association with the 1527 Corpus Christi miracle involving the Virgin of Miracles in Ágreda |
Juan de Medrano (b. 16th century, Ágreda, Soria) was a Moorish shoemaker from Ágreda, Soria, known in local folklore and historical accounts for an extraordinary miracle that took place on Corpus Christi day, 20 June 1527.[1] His life became interwoven with legend and religious devotion following a miraculous event attributed to an image of Mary in Ágreda, previously known as the Virgin of Yanguas, which led to his genuine conversion to Christianity. From that moment on, the Virgin of Yanguas became known as the Virgin of Miracles (Virgen de los Milagros). The Virgin's intervention, as recorded in parish archives, solidified her reputation as the Virgin of Miracles.[2]
Juan de Medrano was born in Ágreda at the beginning of the 16th century.[3] Juan, a Moorish nobleman, was born into the House of Medrano, one of the most powerful families in the Province of Soria.[4] Medrano lived in what is now the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Forsaken (Virgen de los Desamparados, a former mosque) previously known as the Torreón de la Muela, one of Ágreda's oldest landmarks in the Moorish Quarter of Ágreda.[5] He became a shoemaker in Ágreda. As a Morisco, he openly defied the Christian faith he was reportedly compelled to embrace under the 1502 decrees of forced conversion which required all residents of Ágreda's Moorish Quarter to convert to Christianity.[5] The Virgin of Miracles (Virgen de los Milagros) played a pivotal role in his full conversion, and her feast day has since been celebrated in conjunction with Corpus Christi to honor this miraculous event.[5] The family motto of the noble House of Medrano, prominently displayed on several of their coats of arms, is the angelic salutation: Ave Maria Gratia Plena Dominus Tecum, reflecting their deep devotion to the Virgin Mary since ancient times.[6]
Commemoration
Juan de Medrano and the miracle of the Virgin is commemorated with a statuette and an inscription at the Church of the Virgin of Miracles in Ágreda.[5] The inscription on the commemorative plaque says:
Because on a Corpus Christi day I worked, showing disdain, That beautiful Mary, With a marvelous miracle, Revealed my guilt. For, carried in procession Accompanied by her Son, Upon reaching my room, She stood still and, Without words, exposed my betrayal.[7]
Virgin of Miracles
The statue of the Virgin, a 14th-century late Romanesque piece, is located in the Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles in Ágreda, positioned within the central niche of a baroque altarpiece.[2] The statue of the Virgin, whose creator remains unknown, dates back to the 14th century. Prior to 1527, it was called the Virgin of Yanguas, named after the town where it was reportedly discovered by a shepherd named Miguelillo.[8] The statue depicts her seated on a gilded footstool supported by two clouds. She has dark skin, slightly disproportionate white hands, and wears black boots. Her golden mantle stands out against the deep red of her tunic.[9]
This depiction of Mary was subsequently proclaimed the Patroness of Ágreda and renamed Our Lady of Miracles, a title officially sanctioned by Pope Paul III. The recognition was inspired by the 1527 miracle during a Corpus Christi procession involving Juan de Medrano.[8]
The Reverend Father Pedro de Medrano, a renowned Marian theologian, expressed the pious belief, grounded in celestial revelations and strong reasoning, that the Most Holy Virgin Mary is truly and physically present in some of her sacred images. This special grace is granted by the Queen of Angels, as demonstrated by the miraculous and ongoing wonders experienced by devotees through certain images of the Virgin Mary.[3] Juan de Medrano was not the only member of the Medrano family to encounter a miracle associated with the Virgin Mary. On 26 December 1651, Juan Gómez de Medrano, a Creole born in Tunja and perpetual regidor of the city, was forty-six or forty-seven years old when he experienced a miracle by the Virgin Mary.[10][11] According to Bishop Pio Bello Ricardo, another miracle involving the Virgin Mary occurred on 25 March 1976 and involved Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini, who continued to experience apparitions in Finca Betania.[12]
Judicial testimony
The first account regarding Juan de Medrano and the Virgin Mary is derived from a judicial process in 1539, featuring testimony from prominent individuals, including García Hernández de Carrascón. This esteemed clergyman, a patron of the arts and a Renaissance scholar, also practiced medicine and served as a trusted advisor to Cardinal Adrian of Utrecht, who became Pope Adrian VI in 1522.[13] He testified:
Witnesses unanimously recount the event occurring on the Feast of Corpus Christi, in front of Medrano's house. The Virgin's image was said to detach from its pedestal, leading it to be taken into the house of the shoemaker, a converted Morisco (Muslim convert to Christianity), who was found working. Startled, he froze, was arrested, tried by the Inquisition, and converted sincerely.[13]
Tesimony of Martín González de Castejón
The second version appears in the 1545 will of Martín González de Castejón, from the House of the Lords of Velamazán, and Leonor de Fuenmayor.[14] In addition to allocating funds for crowns for the Virgin and the child Jesus, the will recounts:
This image is called Our Lady of Miracles for the many miracles she has performed, including the one we all witnessed during the Corpus Christi procession of 1527, in the Barrio Nuevo of this town, formerly a Moorish quarter. A shoemaker, a new Christian, was sewing in disregard of the holy day, and the procession could not continue until the image was brought into his house. He was found sewing a shoe, which revealed that many were in error and sin.[15]
As documented in the notarial record, on Corpus Christi Day on 20 June 1527, as the Monstrance and the Virgin were carried in a procession through the Moorish Quarter, later renamed Villanueva, the Virgin suddenly stopped and could not be moved forward despite repeated attempts. The doors of Juan de Medrano's house, believed to have been a former mosque, swung open, revealing that he was working on a Christian holy day rather than observing it. This event, attributed to the Virgin of Miracles (Virgen de los Milagros), led to Medrano’s genuine conversion. Since then, her feast day has been celebrated alongside Corpus Christi in honor of this miraculous event.[2]
Hymn to the Virgin of Miracles
the Hymn to the Virgin of Miracles reads:
Holy Mary of Miracles, Walk with us through life’s journey. Holding your hand, be our guide, Wipe away the sweat of our fatigue, The tears of our sorrow, And the dust of our sins. Under your motherly protection and smile, Shelter our families, The sick, and those in need. You, who united us in Ágreda Around your throne, Riojans, Navarrese, Aragonese, and Castilians, Lead us to Christ, our Lord. Amen.[2]
