The apparitions of the Virgin Mary from 50 years ago still have a queue in Girona.

GironaFifty years ago, thousands of people gathered at the top of Girona's Archaeological Walk, near the Torre Gironella neighborhood, attracted by the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The media of the time gave extensive coverage to the phenomenon, which even made the front pages of sensationalist newspapers such as The CaseMaría Mesa, a woman of Andalusian origin with eight children, claimed to have a direct connection with divinity and would enter a kind of mystical ecstasy in which she supposedly received messages from beyond the grave. She quickly gathered followers, curious onlookers, and a few opportunists around her, many of whom nourished a Via Crucis that, on the 4th of each month, began to follow the so-called Way of the Crosses, made up of fourteen small chapels where the stations of the Via Crucis are represented. At the site of the apparitions, a chapel was eventually built, embedded in the rock, which has remained to this day. Even last Friday, April 4th, a dozen faithful made the Via Crucis accompanied by one of Mesa's daughters.

A light in the dining room

According to newspaper accounts, the story begins when a humble, illiterate 50-year-old woman begins to see a supernatural light while sewing in the dining room of her home on Güell Street in the Sant Narcís neighborhood. She falls to her knees and prays for a long time. In the end, this light transforms "into a luminous staircase through which she can ascend to the mystical presence of the Lady," she recounted. The CaseHis entourage supported him, and a group of nuns accompanied him to the church of Sant Feliu, where the Virgin Mary sometimes appeared to him again. But the place that ultimately attracted the most apparitions was at the top of the Archaeological Walk, beneath a large rock near the Torre Gironella neighborhood. The Virgin Mary sometimes appeared to him on the rocks and other times right in front of him. His companions, though they tried hard, did not see her (they lacked the faith of a woman), but sometimes they claimed to notice flashes of light and intense scents of rose, tuberose, and jasmine. One member of the group claims that proof of these contacts are sealed envelopes containing questions, written in Latin, about particular family matters. These questions, which the woman brought during the apparitions, were answered perfectly once they returned home, also in Latin, without the envelopes having been opened.

The bishopric does not believe it

As the visions began to gather more people (mostly curious and skeptical, if not outright photographs), the bishopric was forced to issue a statement stating that they had no evidence of a supernatural origin for the visions and asking church personnel to completely refrain from participating in the walk's meetings. Despite the fact that the governing authorities of the time also issued an appeal to avoid the gathering on February 4, 1975, which was expected to be crowded and posed a risk in an area with unstable rocks, people ignored the prohibition signs and the barriers blocking access. This was the peak of the visions.

Contagions of El Palmar de Troya

The media links the Girona case to the various mystical contagions originating in El Palmar de Troya, where in 1968 four girls claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary, an event that attracted thousands of pilgrims and led to the founding of a church that called itself "the true successor of the Catholic Church." In the 1970s, visions of the Virgin Mary were reported in Catalonia, among other places, in Sant Vicenç dels Horts (in the Remei hermitage) and in Montcada (on the Asland hill). María Mesa, still unknown, had become interested in the alleged miracles of Moncada and had gone to see them in person, although "they did not impress her too much," according to contemporary chronicles. But they did "contribute to renewing her faith and convictions." Shortly after this trip to Moncada, her visions began.

"Pseudocathartic religious-Celtiberian spectacle"

Francisco Francisco-Busquets, who would end up being sub-delegate of the State government in Girona, signed as a young journalist a report on February 8, 1975 in the magazine Presence which he titled "The show of the apparitions". The text, accompanied by an opinion piece by priest Modest Prats, offers enough clues to conclude that it was all a setup orchestrated by the visionary's supposed manager, Juan Gázquez Palenzuela, a former seminarian who accompanied and guided María Mesa at all times. It is acknowledged today that this "religious-Celtiberian and pseudo-cathartic spectacle" stirred the "morbid curiosity" of the people of Girona. the fear of certain sectors in the face of the loss of faith and religious influence. of recovering faith," he reflects. The show of the apparitions lasted for a few months and then faded away. Regarding the fact that there are still some people today who believe in apparitions, Francisco-Busquets does not find it strange: "If you believe in the apparitions of Lourdes and Fatima, you cannot sing Girona, because basically it is the same thing."

The cruelty we carry within us

The article by priest Modesto Prats in Presence He was particularly critical of all the participants in the show mounted around a woman he considered ill: "For me there is an intolerable element in all this: the lack of respect towards that woman, turned into an immodest spectacle in the eyes of the crowd. If you don't see it, you won't believe the capacity for cruelty we all carry. People's cruelty. I couldn't help but wonder: if it were a relative of mine who had these kicks, would you expose it to public view? Would you tolerate someone orchestrating your illness and transforming it into an occasion for sermons and rosaries?" Prados also fails to remember that the date chosen for the apparitions had Francoist overtones: "They have even wrapped up February 4th – the anniversary, in case you don't know, of the entry into Girona of the...

The Via Crucis, still today

On April 4th, a Via Crucis procession of a dozen people once again walked the Les Creus path, guided by a daughter of María Mesa. This time, however, there are no visions or mystical ecstasies; it's simply a journey where prayers are said in each chapel and homage is paid to the visionary. Although she requests anonymity, one of the participants, who came expressly from Barcelona, ​​explains her feelings after completing the route: "It's impressive. I'm convinced it's all true. We didn't know that apparitions had also occurred here in Catalonia. We were so excited to hear the quena to the Lord." The family member accompanying her assures that they have also been to Lourdes and Fatima, and that the Girona case is comparable. When the El Palmar de Troya case is mentioned, they claim it's "a setup, a fraud."

Devotees do not accept the objections that can be raised from reason to the supernatural phenomenon of visions: "For me, all the attacks are a confirmation of their veracity. It is the eternal struggle of evil against good. This is true."