Happy Feet & Travel B.A.G.: #AHaLoInEurope: A Walk through Miracles in Zaragoza

Bola del Mundo at Plaza del Pilar

Traveling broadens your horizon. It enriches your mind and your spirit. But traveling uses up a lot of your time and treasure. It would be a waste if you missed something on your trip you should’ve seen or experienced. It happened to me several times and I regretted that so much. If you’re planning a trip, I’d like to help you avoid missing out. So, let my blog show you what to look out for. Prepare for your trip by traveling with me through this post. Or you might still be in the praying and dreaming stage. Manifesting your dream into reality starts here!

A Happy Solo in Zaragoza, Spain

When you’ve been to several cities in the same number of days, they could begin to look the same. As one of our co-travelers said, “Once you’ve seen a castle, you’ve seen them all.” And she sat it out in several tours.

Pity because I believe that each place holds a charm of its own. There are unique stories they can tell. THE KEY TO GETTING THE FULL BENEFITS OF YOUR TRAVEL AND ENJOYING EACH PLACE IS TO FIND THE SPECIAL LENS THROUGH WHICH THE CITY OR AN ICONIC STRUCTURE CAN BE VIEWED.

For the stunning and vibrant city of Zaragoza, let’s explore it through the lens of miracles. I’ll walk you through the sights we beheld and weave in the stories of miracles connected to them.

The Miracle of Mary’s Bilocation by the Río Ebro

The first sight that greeted us when we reached Zaragoza was the longest river in Spain, the mighty Río Ebro.

Río Ebro's Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge) also called Bridge Of Lions

The story goes that St. James the Greater traveled to Roman Hispania to bring God’s word to the local tribe. Here he encountered tremendous trials yet gained very few converts. Deeply disheartened, he sat on the banks of Río Ebro together with his disciples and prayed. Suddenly, Mother Mary who was still alive and living in Jerusalem with John, appeared on a pillar accompanied by thousands of angels. She comforted James and urged him not to give up evangelizing and to later return to Jerusalem after establishing Christ’s church in Caesaraugusta (now Zaragoza).

Bridge of St. James

This is the first recorded Marian Apparition. It is unique because it is the only instance of Mary exhibiting bilocation and the only one before her Assumption.

The Blessed Mother instructed James and his eight disciples to build a church on the site. She promised, “It will stand until the end of time in order that God may work miracles through my intercession for all those who place themselves under my patronage.” The Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar), the first shrine dedicated to Mary, has withstood invasions and wars.

The Miracle of the 3 Bombs

Upon entering the cathedral, our tour guide directed our gaze to a gaping hole in the ceiling.

That hole was made by one of three bombs dropped from an airplane during the Spanish Civil War. Not a single one of those bombs detonated. The people attributed this to the Virgin’s miraculous intervention. The deactivated bombs now adorn one of the basilica’s walls.

The Miraculous Appearance of the Pillar

The most significant part of the cathedral is the Santa Capilla (Holy Chapel). It’s a small church within a church done in Spanish Baroque style.

Here the image of Nuestra Señora del Pilar is enshrined in El Camarín de la Virgen (The Virgin’s Dressing Room), a silver niche with green marble studded with bejeweled stars.

The image of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus stands upon a Roman style pillar. This is the same one that miraculously appeared during Mary’s bilocation. The pillar is preserved in its original place, so designed that it is perfectly centered between the naves of the Basilica.

Scientists analyzed the material and discovered similar, yet not identical, stones found only in other parts of the world. I don’t know how true this claim is, but the pillar is said to be plunged deep into the earth that its end has never been seen.

The Holy Column made of jasper overlaid with bronze and silver is usually covered with a manta (mantle), an intricately crafted vestment. The mantles are gifts from countries (including every Latin American nation), states, cities and individuals from around the globe.

The pillar can only be touched behind the altar from the Humilladero, a space on the wall through which the Santa Columna can be venerated.

The Miracle of Calanda

As we viewed the ornate El Retablo Mayor (Main Altarpiece) made of Escatrón alabaster and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin

La Asuncion - a marble relief of The Assumption
where the oculos above the Virgin displays the Holy Sacrament

precious art work by renowned masters,

and the magnificent structure of the cathedral,

our tour guide told us another miracle story that is attributed to Our Lady of the Pillar.

Miguel Juan Pellicer, a young farmer from Calanda (a town about 60 miles from Zaragoza), met an accident and was brought to the hospital of Zaragoza where his leg was amputated. The amputated leg was buried in the cemetery of the hospital. After his amputation, Miguel continued to pray to Our Lady of the Pillar to whom he had a great devotion. He would anoint his stump religiously with oil from the church lamps.

For two years, he made a living through begging at the Sanctuary of the Pillar. Then he went back home to Calanda. One morning, his parents were astonished to find he had two legs peeping out of his blanket. The amputated leg was miraculously restored and could no longer be found in the cemetery where it was buried. After thorough investigation, the Archbishop of Zaragoza declared the Miracle of Calanda authentic.

Let me end our walk through miracles in Zaragoza with a short reflection:

We often look for great miracles to happen in our lives. When they don’t, we get disappointed. Maybe it’s time to refocus on the daily miracles that we are granted – the breath restored to us at the beginning of each day, the food on our table, the presence and love of the people around us.

Miracles can be found even in God’s smallest creations like this exquisite cyclamen that greeted me at the Plaza del Pilar