St. Ignatius of Loyola

With the mere mention of "Loyola" in Spain, right away, brought to my mind St. Ignatius of Loyola. My visit to Loyola centered on the Basilica of St. Ignatius, as part of a pilgrimage I had joined to Garabandal.

Who was St. Ignatius of Loyola?

The Sanctuary of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Azpeitia

On October 23,1941, St. Ignatius was born to the Lord of Loyola - Beltrãn Ibañez de Oñaz, and his wife Maria Sãnchez de Licona, in his family home in the little town of Azpeitia, a Basque province of Guipuzcoa, in Northern Spain. His real name was Iñigo Lopez de Loyola, named after St. Enecus (Innicus in Basque, Iñigo in Spanish). He was the youngest of  thirteen children. Soon after his birth, his mother passed away. He was cared for by the local blacksmith's wife, Maria de Garin. 

By the age of sixteen, Iñigo became a page and a member of the household of Juan Velazquez de Cuellar, who was the treasurer in Castile (Spain). At the court of Velazquez, Iñigo developed a taste for the worldly life, got addicted to gambling, and developed an argumentative attitude which got him into trouble, at times. But the Loyola family name was quite powerful, and he managed to get away with his misdeeds.

At seventeen, he became a military officer and was seen more as a "fancy dresser, an expert dancer, a womanizer, sensitive to insults, and a rough punish swordsman" more than being a good soldier.  While he was defending the fortress in the Battle of Pamplona on May 20,  1521 against the French, a cannon struck him and his leg was wounded. The French found him to be courageous. Instead of taking him as a prisoner, they brought him back to his home - to the Castle of Loyola, for him to recover. However, his leg did not heal and his condition seemed to indicate his imminent death, according to his doctors.

While he was still recuperating at the hospital that was run by a religious order, he was in search of books to read and the only one he could find was entitled "Life of Christ" (De Vitta Christi by Ludolph of Saxony). As he read and went through the pages, he became more interested  in the lives of the saints, as he was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and other great saints. This book highly influenced him in his ensuing prayer life. This was the beginning of his conversion. And, soon he heard the call to religious life. 

On June 29 - on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, he was miraculously healed. In the hospital he was getting visits  which he concluded were diabolical. Although, his leg injury caused him to walk with a limp, afterwards. 

When he felt well enough, Iñigo set off to journey to the Holy Land in September of 1521, with the intention of settling there. However, he only lasted there for twenty days - from September 3 to 23 - as the Franciscans, who officially had  "Custody of the Holy Land" sent him back. 

In March, 1522, he visited the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat. While there, he had a vision of the Blessed Mother and the Child Jesus. After, he surrendered his sword before the statue of Our Lady.

A metal sculpture of St. Ignatius's vision of the Blessed Mother and the chid Jesus (in the garden next to the basilica )

From there, Iñigo took a 25km walk to Manresa. It eas at a cave there where he led an ascetic and spiritual life, where he conceived his Spiritual Exercises." He learned about imagining oneself at the Gospel scene, visualizing the story known as  a "simple contemplation." This became the basis for his exercises which consisted of "meditations, prayers and mental exercises" which were , then, published in 1548. Ignatian spirituality is designed to bring us to a deeper prayer life, while seeing God as present and active in our lives, to guide us in our discernment, in making our decisions, and to have an active life in being there to serve others. 

He went back to Barcelona at the age of thirty-three to attend grammar school as preparation to enter a university. From there, he went on to attend the University of Alcala, from 1524 to 1534, where he studied  theology and Latin. While there, he ran into some women who had to go before the Inquisition. These women were viewed as alumbrados (Iluminated, Illuminati, or Enlightened Ones), whose spirituality was linked  to that of the Franciscan reforms. This incurred the suspicion of the administrators of the Inquisition.

On one occasion, Iñigo was preaching on the street when three of these devout women went into ecstatic states, like "One fell senseless, another sometimes rolled about on the ground, another had been seen in the grip of convulsions or shuddering and sweating in anguish." These manifestations - which happened while Iñigo was preaching without even having  studied theology - got him into trouble. As this was deemed as a suspicious activity, he underwent interrogation by the Inquisition, but was released later on.

Education became important to Iñigo. At 38 years old, he went to Paris to attend the Collège Sainte-Barbe, which at the time was the center of French Renaissance. With little knowledge of French and Latin, he managed to progress, starting from learning the basic courses; and in the years that followed more courses in science, philosophy, and theology. From his Parisian educational experience, he left us the legacy of setting class levels: Freshman, sophomore, Junior, senior.

It was in Paris that he changed his name to Ignatius, which was used in his diploma when he graduated. His switch to the latin name "Ignatius" later on, was believed to have been made to make it better understood in France and Italy. He adopted the surname "de Loyola" to indicate where he was born.

He wanted to pursue further studies but he was tied down in the doctoral program due to his age and stomach problems that he developed from his penance practices while he was in Manresa.  He finished his master's degree from the University of Paris at 43 years old.

Ignatius made friends in Paris: Francis Xavier (a nobleman from the eastern end of the Basque country), Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Laynez, and Nicholas Bobadilla, all of whom were Spaniards; Peter Faber - a Savoyard from the south of France; and Simão Rodrigues of Portugal.

Bonded by the spiritual exercises he led them through, together they took their vows at Eglise Saint-Pierre du Montmartre (Church of Saint Peter of Montmartre) on August 14, 1534, with a mission to convert. They were eventually joined by Saint Francis Borgia and other nobles.  

Their plans to go to the Holy Land were thwarted while they waited for a ship to take them from Venice, due to the outbreak of the war between the Venetians and the Turks. With the change of plans, they ended up in Rome. There, they spent their time in communal discernment.

The Society of Jesus - the Jesuit order - was established on September 27, 1540, with the approval of Pope Paul III. Ignatius became the first superior general of the order. The society had a special vow of obedience to the pope, and to serve the pope as missionaries.They were, prominently, involved during the Counter-Reformation.

To start their work, Ignatius sent his companions to establish schools, colleges, and seminaries all over Europe. On one occasion, he met the ambassador to Rome of Charles V - Juan de Vega. The ambassador had so much respect and admiration for Ignatius. He invited the Jesuits - when he became the Viceroy of Sicily - to open a Jesuit college in Messina, which became a model school that was used for the other schools that were put up. 

Ignatius - because of his book of Spiritual Exercises - was brought before the Roman Inquisition in 1548. He was released and papal permission was given for the printing of his book, which was formatted to be carried out for a period of 28-30 days.

Along with the help of his personal secretary - Juan Alfonso de Polanco, together they wrote the Jesuits' constitution, which was created as a monarchical organization, stressing absolute self-denial and obedience to the pope and to the the Catholic hierarchy, using the motto perinde ac cadaver (as if a dead body) , was adopted in 1554. The Jesuits' motto was based on his principle: Ad majorem Dei gloriam ("For the greater glory of God.")

From 1553–1555, Ignatius dictated his autobiography to his secretary, Father Gonçalves da Câmara. It was archived  for about 150 years, until the Bollandists (an association of scholars, philologists, and historians) published the text in Acta Sanctorum  (a principal source for research into the societies and cultures of early Christian and medieval Europe).

He is the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Basque Country, and various towns and cities in his native region. 

Biographical films have been made about his life: In 1949 he was the subject of a Spanish  film The Captain from Loyola, in which he was played by Rafael Durán. In 2016, he was the subject of a Filipino film Ignacio de Loyola, in which he was magnificently played by Andreas Muñoz.

The main entrance to the sanctuary

He died in Rome on July 31, 1556, after contracting the Roman Fever - a severe case of Malaria that had made its rounds several times before. He was placed in a wooden shrine, covered with his priestly garments. On August 1st,  the shrine was brought to the Maria della Strada Church. In 1568 that church was replaced with the Chiesa del Gesù (Church of the Gesù). Placed in a new coffin, Saint Ignatius was reinterred in the Church of the Gesù in Rome, Italy.

Upon his death, the house  - his place of birth - was given to the order he founded. The house is now a museum and is part of the basilica complex. Next to the house, the Sanctuary of Loyola was built. It became a place of veneration in the seventeenth century. 

A waterway on one side of the property

 The Shrine and Basilica (Santuario de Loyola) is a series of buildings built in the Churrigueresque Baroque style.

This is a Spanish Baroque style, developed in the late 17th century and it was in use up to around 1750. It incorporated very elaborate sculptural and architectural ornamentation in the church design, mainly, found in the main entrance of a building.

It derives its name from José Benito de Churriguera (1665-1725), a sculptor and architect from Madrid who got his inspiration from Alonso Cano, the architect who designed the cathedral in Granada, in 1667.

The shrine of St. Ignatius was built around the tower of the Loyola Castle in northeastern Spain. It consisted of several buildings that made up the basilica complex in a huge piece of land. The construction began in 1688 under the supervision of the project architect, Carlo Fontana.

 The cupola

The main altar

 The pulpit

Details of the main altar with a statue St. Ignatius above the crucifix.

Madonna and Child

  San Francisco de Xavier

Sacred Heart of Jesus

 San Pedro Faber

 San Alonso Rodriguez
Due to time constraints, I was not able to take pictures of the other friends who took their vows with Ignatius, on the other side of the main altar.

Door details

The Cemetery

Located somewhere behind the basilica, is the cemetery. This was a place of interest to my pilgrimage group as our visit to Loyola was a side trip, as part of our pilgrimage to Garabandal.

Among the priests who went to investigate for himself about the ongoings in Garabandal was Fr. Luis Andreu, a 38 year-old Spanish Jesuit. While at the Pines - the apparition site consisting of five tall evergreen trees - he was heard to say "Miracle, miracle!" when he had a vision of the virgin Mary, where she granted him a preview of the great miracle that was forthcoming. At the same time, the four children - Conchita Gonzalez, Maria Dolores "Mari Loli" Mazon, Jacinta Gonzalez, and  Maria Cruz Gonzalez - who were in ecstasy,  came to understand what Our Lady was saying to him - "You will soon be with me."

With so much joy in his heart, Fr. Andreu spoke about this happy occasion: "Oh! What a sweet and lovely Mother we have in heaven. How happy I am. What a favor the Blessed Virgin has bestowed on me. How fortunate we are to have a Mother like her in heaven. There is no reason to fear the supernatural life. The girls have given us an example of how we  must act with the Blessed Virgin. There is no doubt in my mind that the things involving the girls are true. Why should the Blessed Virgin choose us? This is the happiest day of my life." These became his final words. He bowed his head and died.

Our Lady has said that the body of Fr. Andreu will be found to be incorrupt on the day after the miracle comes to pass (a prophecy of which was given to the sears in Garabandal).

 Next to the basilica is a center for spirituality where retreats, meetings, congresses and pastoral activities are held, under the auspices of the Handmaids of Christ he King.

Ignatius' path to sainthood came swiftly, a few years after his death, he was beatified by Pope Paul V on July 27, 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. St. Ignatius of Loyola's feast day is celebrated on July 31st.

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Travel tips to Loyola:

The nearest cities are either Bilbao or San Sebastian. The San Sebastian airport  has limited service, while the Bilbao airport has flights to several European destinations. Trains services are available from Madrid to Bilbao (about 4-5 hours), as well as to San Sebastian. From either city you would need to take a bus to Loyola.

Address: 20730 Loiola, Guipúzcoa, País Vasco, Spain

Holy Christ of Agony (Limpias Christo) at Iglesia de San Pedro in Cantabria, Santander, Spain

Some years ago, on a pilgrimage to Garabandal, Spain, we took a sidetrip to visit Iglesia de San Pedro (Church of St. Peter) in Cantabria, located in the area of Rucoba de LImpias, in Santander, Spain. In this village church, an image of the Holy Christ of Agony, or also known as Christ of Limpias, has been much venerated by pilgrims from all over the world.

The church was built at the beginning of the 17th century in late Gothic and Renaissance style, under the guidance of a master of the time - Francisco de Hazas. In 1664, a Baroque doorway was added to the structure.

The façade - which is made of limestone - was the work of Diego Vélez de Palacio. Next to the entrance door are two columns, one on each side. Above the columns are circular pediments with statues of St. Peter and St. Paul,  and at the center above the main door is Santiago (Saint James the Great, the brother of John the Apostle) .

The façade of Iglesia de San Pedro, Cantabria

Prominent in the interior of the church are the three naves that are equal in height, with the center nave wider than the side ones. They are separated by cylindrical pillars that are covered with rib vaults.

On the altars are decorative and religious elements that date back from the 16th to the 18th century. The main altar piece - that of Christ of Limpias, made of polychrome wood carving with the Sorrowful Virgin Mary on one side and the apostle John on the other, in Rococo style dating back to 1777 - are Andalusian art works from either Cadiz or Seville.

On the side chapels, there are the statue of the archdeacon - Fernando de Palacio and the tomb of General Don Antonio Cirilo de Rivero in marble.

The main altar at the center of the three naves

 

The figures above the main altar are life-size, and the crucifix is believed to have been the work of Pedro de Mena, who passed away in 1693. In the course of time, the crucifix was given to the church by Fr. Diego de la Piedra Secadura, a native of Limpias who was born in 1916.

Jesus on the cross is a depiction of the suffering of our Lord in the final moments of his crucifixion. Measuring six feet tall, the body of our Lord is clothed with a loin cloth held in place by a rope. His feet are on top of each other, pierced by a single nail.

His index and middle fingers on both hands which are nailed to the cross look like He is giving a final blessing, with His eyes looking towards heaven.

Miracles have been attributed to this image of Christ since 1919. Here are some accounts as published in this website: https://www.miraclesofthechurch.com/2010/10/miraculous-crucifix-of-limpias-jesus.html

The First Miracle -The eyes of Jesus on the crucifix miraculously come alive

The first recorded miracle involving this crucifix took place in 1914, five years before the grand miracles of 1919. The recipient of the favor was Don Antonio Lopez, a monk belonging to the Order of the Pauline Fathers who conducted a college in Limpias. His entire account reads as follows:

“One day in the month of August, 1914, I went into the parish church of Limpias, by order of my friend D. Gregorio Bringas, to fix the electric light over the high altar. In order to be able to work more comfortably I put two large cases on the altar, and on them a ladder, the ends of which I leaned against the wall that serves as a background to the figure of the Crucified One.

"After I had worked for two hours, in order to rest myself a little I began to clean the figure so that it could be seen more clearly. My head was on a level with the Head of the Christ, and at a distance of only a couple of feet from it. It was a lovely day and through the window in the sanctuary a flood of light streamed into the church and lit up the whole altar. As I was gazing at the crucifix with the closest attention, I noticed with astonishment that Our Lord's eyes were gradually closing, and for five minutes I saw them quite closed.

"Overwhelmed with fright at such an unexpected spectacle, I could still hardly quite believe what I saw, and was about to come down from the ladder. Notwithstand¬ing, my bewilderment was so great that my strength suddenly failed me; I lost my balance, fainted, and fell from the ladder onto the edge of the altar itself and down the steps into the sanctuary.

"After I had somewhat recovered, I was convinced from where I lay that the eyes of the figure on the crucifix were still closed. I pulled myself together hastily and went out in order to relate what had happened, and also to be medically examined, for my whole body was in great pain from the fall.

"A few minutes after I had left the church I met the sacristan, who was just going to ring the Angelus, as it was twelve o'clock noon. When he saw me so agitated and covered with dust he asked if anything had happened to me. I told him what had occurred, whereupon he said he was not surprised as he had already heard that the Santo Cristo had closed His eyes on one other occasion, and that it was probably brought about by the working of some interior mechanism.

"I asked him to collect the tools together and to put away the ladder, and generally to tidy up everything again. Then when I reached the college I told the Fathers the whole of the above incident. I was examined, but no wounds were found on my body and no broken bones, only a few bruises of slight importance.

"Thinking that the movement I had observed in the eyes of the figure was to be attributed in any case to a mechanism, I attached no further importance to the vision, but tried, however, to find out on what occasion this fact had already been observed, but without success, as no one could give me any information whatsoever about the matter.

"Since then I have often cleaned the crucifix, and at the same time examined it minutely, and am convinced that there is neither a spring nor any other mechanism on it. What is more, the eyes were so firmly fixed that even by pressing hard with one's fingers they could not be made to move in the least, nor could they be turned in any direction, as I have proved myself again and again.”

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Father Antonio Lopez wrote the above account of his experience at the request of his superiors, and then kept the matter to himself. It was only on March 16, 1920, a year after the many miracles of 1919, that the above declaration was made public.

When the miracles attributed to the image of the Holy Christ of Agony (Christ of Limpias) were happening, religious fervor among the village people and the surrounding areas was waning and the church was practically deserted. To bring the miracles to the attention of the local people, the parish priest - Rev. Thomas Echevarria organized a mission. He applied to the Capuchin monastery at Montehano, not too far from Santander, and he was assigned two priests - Friar Anselmo de Jalon and Friar Agatangelo de San Miguel - to help him out.

" On the last day of the mission, Sunday, March 30, while the Archpriest D. Eduardo Miqueli was celebrating Holy Mass, both missionaries were occupied in the confessional. Fr. Agatangelo, however, delivered the day's sermon based on the words, "My son, give me thy heart." (Prov. 23:26). While he was speaking, a girl of about 12 entered the confessional of Fr. Jalon and told him that the eyes of Christ on the cross were closed. Thinking that this was the product of the child's imagination, the priest ignored her claim until other children also came to him with the same message. After Fr. Agatangelo finished the address and was about to return to his confessional, Fr. Jalon approached him and told him of the children's claim. Both priests then looked at the crucifix but saw nothing unusual. Presently a man in the congregation shouted for everyone to look upon the crucifix. In a few moments the people confirmed with great excitement what the children had seen. Some of the people began crying, others shouted that they had seen a miracle, others fell to their knees in prayer while others called out to God for mercy.

"After the parish priest was called from the sacristy and was told that the eyes of the Crucified were opening and closing and that the figure was turning His gaze from side to side, he, too, fell on his knees to pray. But his prayer was soon interrupted by many of the people who declared that the figure was perspiring and that Fr. Jalon should climb up to the crucifix to verify it. When a ladder was produced, Fr. Jalon climbed up and saw that the perspiration covered the figure's neck and chest. After touching the neck, he looked upon his fingers that were wet with the fluid. As verification of what had taken place, he showed his moistened fingers to the congregation. Once again agitation and excitement gripped the people so that it was a long time before they were calmed.

"None of the priests saw the movements of the eyes, but Fr. Agatangelo later saw the miracle several times when he prayed alone in the church at night.

A report of all that had taken place was given by the Archpriest D. Eduardo to the bishop of Santander on April 2, 1919. This report was later published in the Boletin Eclesiastico of the diocese of Santander."

*****

"The second set of public apparitions first took place on Palm Sunday, April 13, 1919, when two prominent men of Limpias approached the altar. Speaking of hallucination and mass hysteria as they looked upon the crucifix, one of them suddenly pointed upward and fell to his knees. At once the other man also fell to his knees, crying for mercy and proclaiming his belief in the miracle.

"The third apparitions took place on Easter Sunday, April 20, in the presence of a group of nuns known as the Daughters of the Cross who conducted a girls' school in Limpias. They saw both the eyes and lips of the Santo Cristo move. At this time some of their students also saw the miracle, as did a group of people who were reciting the Holy Rosary. Their experience was quickly reported to the parish priest. The manifestations were repeated almost daily from April 24."

Once again, the church came to life when the people from Limpias and the neighboring towns came after hearing about the miracles. 

Reverend Baron Von Kleist reports that:

“ 'Many said that the Saviour looked at them; at some in a kindly manner, and at others gravely, and at yet others with a penetrating and stern glance. Many of them saw tears in His eyes; others noticed that drops of blood ran down from the temples pierced by the crown of thorns; some saw froth on His lips and sweat on His body; others again saw how He turned His eyes from side to side, and let His gaze pass over the whole assembly of people; or how, at the Benediction, He made a movement of the eyes as if giving the blessing; how at the same time He moved the thorn-crowned head from one side to the other. Others had the impression that a deep, submissive sigh was wrested from His breast, some believed they saw Him whisper- in short, the most varied manifestations were observed on this crucifix.' ”

One of the prominent citizens to witness a miracle was Don Adolfo Arenaza. His testimony was published in the newspaper - La Gazeta del Norte (in Bilbao) - on May 5, 1919. Here is his account:

"He reported that he joined a procession going to Limpias in order to visit the crucifix. While looking through his field-glasses he saw the movement of the eyes four times. He further stated that it could not have been an effect of the light nor an hallucination, since people saw the miracle from all parts of the church. He then asked, "Does Our Lord really move His eyes ... I am rather of the opinion that He really does move them, for I have seen it myself."

The miraculous accounts had spread to all of Spain and in the United States. There was a journalist who was able to witness the movement of the eyes and the mouth of Jesus.

 “ 'I could perceive two movements of the jawbone, as if He were saying two syllables with His lips. I shut my eyes quite tight and asked myself: "What will He have said?" The answer was not long in coming, for in my innermost self I clearly heard the significant and blessed words, "Love Me!"

There were more than 8,000 testimonies given by people from all walks of life who had witness miracles of Christ of Limpias. 2,500 of these were sworn on oath.

A Capuchin monk - Fr. Celestino Maria de Pozuelo- in his report stated: " ... The face presented a vivid expression of pain: the body was a bluish colour, as if it had received cruel blows, and was bathed in perspiration. . ."

Testimonies from more members of the religious:  

"Father Valentin Incio of Gijon tells that he visited Limpias on August 4, 1919 and joined a group of pilgrims who wen; witnessing the miracle. There were 30 to 40 people, two other priests, 10 sailors and a woman who was crying with emotion. Father Incio wrote:

“ 'At first Our Lord seemed to be alive; His head then preserved its customary position and His countenance the natural expression, but His eyes were full of life and looked about in different directions... Then His gaze was directed towards the centre, where the sailors stood, whom He contemplated for a long time; then He looked to the left towards the sacristy with a remarkably stern glance which He retained for some time. Now came the most touching moment of all. Jesus looked at all of us, but so gently and kindly, so expressively, so lovingly and divinely, that we fell on our knees and wept and adored Christ. .. Then Our Lord continued to move His eyelids and eyes, which shone as if they were full of tears; then He moved His lips gently as if He were saying something or praying. At the same time the above mentioned lady who was beside me, saw the Master trying to move His arms and striving to get them loose from the Cross.' Signing their names to this statement were the three priests, nine of the sailors and the lady."

" 'The Coadjutor of St. Nicholas Church in Valencia, Father Paulino Girbes, relates in his statement of September 15, 1919 that he was in the company of two bishops and 18 priests when they knelt before the crucifix:

" '... We all saw the face of the Santo Cristo become sadder, paler, and more bluish-looking. The mouth also was wider open than usual. The eyes gave a gentle glance now at the bishops and then in the direction of the sacristy. The features at the same time took on the expression of a man who is in his death-struggle. That lasted a long time. I could not restrain my tears and began to weep; the others were similarly affected..."

" 'Father Joseph Einsenlohr submitted his statement on June 18, 1921. After offering Holy Mass at the altar below the crucifix, he sat in the church to attend the Mass being offered by another priest. He wrote:

“ 'After the Santo Cristo moved His head and eyes for a certain time He began to pull at the shoulders, to writhe and to bend, as a man does when he is nailed alive to a cross. Everything was in motion, only the hands and feet remained nailed fast. In the end the whole body relaxed as if exhausted, then took up its natural position again with the head and eyes turned up in the direction of heaven. This whole scene of the dying Saviour lasted from the Sanctus until after the priest's Communion...' ”

" 'A Capuchin monk named Father Antonio Maria de Torrelavega visited the crucifix on September 11, 1919, he saw blood streaming from the left corner of Our Lord's mouth. The next day, he:

“ '.... observed anew, only still more frequently, the movement of the eyes, and saw, too, once more that blood was flowing down from the corner of the mouth ... Several times He also looked at me. Now I felt as if my whole being were shaken violently ... I stood up, therefore, and changed places three or four times, always observing, however, the same manifestations ... At about two o'clock, as I was kneeling in one of the central benches, I saw the Santo Cristo gazing at me again, and this so affected me that I had to hold on tight to the bench, as my strength was beginning to fail me ... I noticed that the countenance changed colour and became bluish and sad. Many other persons who were kneeling round me also observed this ... Now I verify it; there is no doubt the Santo Cristo moves His eyes. During my visit I saw the movement of the eyes about fifty times...' “

" 'Father Manuel Cubi, an author, lecturer and confessor of the Church del Pilar in Saragossa, Spain gave his statement on December 24, 1919. In the company of a group of people, he saw the Santo Cristo in a death agony.

“ '…One had the impression that Our Lord was trying to loosen Himself from the cross with violent convulsive movements; one thought to hear the death-rattle in His throat. Then He raised His head, turned His eyes, and closed His mouth. Now and then I saw His tongue and teeth ... For nearly half an hour He showed us how much we had cost Him, and what He had suffered for us during His abandonment and thirst on the cross.”

Statements from physicians who were, initially, skeptical and out to disprove the miracles and come up with scientific reasons to explain the "hysteria":

" A report made by Dr. Penamaria was published in the paper “La Montana” dated May, 1920. The doctor described what seemed to him to be "...a re-enactment of Christ's death on the Cross." He writes that after witnessing the movement of the statue's eyes and mouth, and after changing locations in the church to verify the miracle, he prayed for a more distinctive proof, something more extraordinary "... that would leave no scope to further doubt, and would give me positive grounds for His miracle, so that I might also proclaim it to all and sundry, and defend it against every opponent, even at the risk of losing my life." He then writes:

“This request seemed pleasing to Our Lord ... A moment later His mouth was twisted sharply to the left, His glassy, pain-filled eyes gazed up to heaven with the sad expression of those eyes that look and yet do not see. His lead-colored lips appeared to tremble; the muscles of the neck and breast were contracted and made breathing forced and laboured. His truly Hippocratic features showed the keenest pangs of death. His arms seemed to be trying to get loose from the cross with convulsive backward and forward movements, and showed clearly the piercing agony that the nails caused in His hands at each movement. Then followed the indrawing of a breath, then a second ... a third ... I do not know how many... always with painful oppression; then a frightful spasm, as with someone who is suffocating and struggling for air, at which the mouth and nose were opened wide. Now fol¬lows an outpouring of blood, fluid, frothing, that runs over the under-lip, and which the Saviour sucks up with His bluish, quivering tongue, that He slowly and gently passes two or three times in succession over the lower lip; then an instant of slight repose, another slow breath ... now the nose becomes pointed, the lips are drawn together rhythmically, and then extend, the bluish cheek-bones project, the chest expands and contracts vio¬lently after which His head sinks limply on His breast, so that the back of the head can be seen distinctly. Then ... He expires! . . . I have tried to describe in out¬line what I saw during more than two hours...”

" An extraordinary revelation was observed by Dr. D. Pedro Cuesta in August, 1920. The doctor first tells that he was in the company of a priest, a doctor and a married couple. In the morning, during Holy Mass, his companions saw the miraculous movements but he did not, even though he moved from one position in the church to another. That afternoon he was persuaded to return to the church and saw this astounding revelation.

" 'When I fixed my gaze for the third or fourth time on the figure I noticed that the fleshy parts entirely disappeared, so that only the skin still remained, a skeleton on which I could have made anatomical studies. The head was completely dried up, until it, like the skin that I had seen, totally vanished. After I had not seen the figure at all for some time it reappeared, but as if mummified, until later on it was also restored by degrees in its fleshy parts. Yes, I observed clearly the formation of a hypertrophy (enlargement) of the head, which then also extended to the remaining parts of the body. Each of these apparitions was repeated twice.

"At the last stage of the second development I could no longer control myself, but cried out in terror and fled out of the church. A cowardly fear had taken possession of me, whereas I had never before known fear-let my description not be set down to exaggeration ... I, who was never ill, thought I should die on the spot. The instinct of self-preservation drove me out of the church or I should have had to be carried out as a corpse. So I stumbled out of the church and confessed with my whole heart to the people standing outside: By my reputation as a physician and on my word of honour, I take my oath to what I state herewith, and which I will also certify and ratify with my blood."

"Dr. D.Eduardo Perez y Perez gives us a graphic medical report of what he saw on October 6, 1919:

“ 'As I was praying before the crucifix of the Santo Cristo, He looked at me lovingly for nearly a minute ... then Christ raised His head, which then remained in quite a peaceful attitude. The muscles of the neck relaxed ... the eyes were at the same time wide open and turned upwards ... there ensued a violent inhalation with straining of the muscles of the neck, whereby the musculus cleidomastoideus especially stood out, and furthermore the musculi pectorales, the scalenus anterior, and the accessory respiratory muscles, with a considerable dilation of the intercostal spaces, as in the case, for example at the last struggle after mortal wounds ... For a moment He appeared on the point of death ... then He resumed His customary expression, as the artist had given it to the figure ... I must add that during the whole of that afternoon I saw the figure a reddish colour. The following day it was a yellowish or lead colour, as with a dying person ...”

'There is also a report of a non-believer who was a medical student named D. Heriberto de la Villa. His testimony was published in the paper “Del Pueblo Astur” on July 8, 1919. He first strongly declares that: " ... auto-suggestion is quite out of the question, for I did not believe in the miracle when I went."

He later went into the church at the urging of a friend and saw the movement of the eyes and mouth. Doubting what he was seeing, he changed his location in the church to better study the movements and then saw the crucifix of Limpias:

“. . . gaze upon me with a terrible look full of anger, which makes me shudder, and I cannot help but bow my head ... I look up again and see how He is looking to the right, bowing His head, and turns it to the right, so that I can see the crown of thorns from behind ... Once again he turns on me the same angry look which makes such a deep impression upon me that I see myself obliged to leave the church."

Later that day he returned to the church and saw that,

“... little by little the breast and face became dark blue, the eyes move to the right and left, upwards and down, the mouth opens somewhat, as if He were breathing with difficulty. This I saw for fifteen to twenty minutes ... I also noticed that above the left eyebrow a wound formed, out of which a drop of blood flowed over the eyebrows, and remained stationary by the eyelids. After that I saw another drop of blood fall from the crown of thorns and flow over the face. I could distinctly discern it, for it was very red and contrasted with the dark blue colour of the face. Then I saw a quantity of blood drip from the crown of thorns onto the shoulder, but without touching the face. He opened His mouth wide, out of which a white matter like froth welled. At this moment a Dominican priest mounted the pulpit, whereupon Christ gazed steadily at him for five or six minutes ..."

"When the preacher ended with the words: "and now, Santo Cristo, give us Thy blessing," Christ opened His eyes and mouth, smiling, and bowed His head, as if He wished to give the benediction in reality. At this moment someone who was standing near me asked me if I would venture to swear on oath to what I saw ... Then I recognized that Christ wanted to prove to me the truth of what I saw; He opened His mouth again, out of which froth and blood streamed in great quantity and flowed out of the comers of the mouth quite distinctly ... Thereafter I believed that it was now my duty to swear upon oath to what I had seen, and I did so in the sacristy of the church.”

"As noted above, most of those who saw the miracle instinctively felt the need to change locations within the church in order to verify what they had witnessed. For some, the miracle took place the first time they entered the church, but might not have taken place sometime later. For others, the miracle did not take place the first time, but occurred later in the day. Some did not see the miracle at all. As one witness testified: "The fact that these manifestations are seen by some, by others not, cannot be explained by the laws that are prescribed for nature."

"The official position of the Catholic Church concerning the miraculous events at Limpias: Bishop Sanchez de Castro, the Bishop of Santander, in whose diocese Limpias belongs, introduced a canonical process on July 18, 1920 in which Rome was notified of the miraculous cures and manifestations. One year and one day later, a plenary indulgence was granted for a period of seven years to all the faithful who visit the holy crucifix.

-Lord Jesus Crucified, have mercy on us!

By 1921, it was estimated that the number of visitors who came to Limpias had exceeded the number of pilgrims who had visited Lourdes. Among them were members of the royalty, politicians, church dignitaries from foreign, Christian  nations. Today, pilgrims still come to Limpias, but in much smaller numbers.