# Juan de Medrano

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. 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.

## Life

Juan de Medrano was born in Ágreda at the beginning of the 16th century. Juan, a Moorish nobleman, was born into the House of Medrano, one of the most powerful families in the Province of Soria. 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. 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. 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. 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.

## 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. 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.

## 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. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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.

### 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. 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.

### 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. 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.
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.

### Hymn to the Virgin of Miracles

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.

## Legacy

History and legend intertwine in one of the most significant events associated with Ágreda's cultural heritage and the image of the Virgin: the 1527 miracle involving the shoemaker Juan de Medrano. Medrano's statuette is preserved in the Church of Los Milagros. Historian Manuel Peña has extensively documented this event, analyzing it through historical records and contrasting the two main versions of the story. These accounts differ slightly, with some witnesses describing the image detaching from its platform, while others claim it was unable to continue in the procession until it was taken into Medrano’s house.
The most notable result of this event was the change in the Virgin's title. Previously referred to as the Virgin of the Rivers or the Virgin of Yanguas since medieval times, she was renamed Our Lady of Miracles following the Corpus Christi miracle on 20 June 1527. She was officially proclaimed the Patroness of Villa y Tierra by the 17 associated villages on 28 May 1644, with this designation reaffirmed on 10 June 1944.
The Virgin was solemnly crowned on 7 June 1947, with a 50th-anniversary celebration held on 31 May 1997. Since 6 May 2013, the image of Juan de Medrano, a Morisco shoemaker and false convert, has been featured in the "La Parte por el Todo" segment of the Spanish quiz show Saber y Ganar on La 2 of TVE. The image of Juan de Medrano was featured for seven episodes before being identified by Sergio, a contestant from Zaragoza, on 14 May 2013. In the 20th century, the Virgin was taken out in procession only six times, each requiring approval from the Marquesses of Velamazán, with official notarial records documenting both her departure and return.

## Residence

Juan de Medrano lived in the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Forsaken (Virgen de los Desamparados), previously known as the Torreón de la Muela, one of Ágreda's oldest landmarks. The site is linked to the "Miracle of the shoemaker," a significant event associated with the Virgin of Miracles during the 1527 Feast of Corpus Christi. As one of Spain's most significant examples of Islamic architecture, the Torreón de la Muela [es], also known as the Torreón de los Moros (Tower of the Moors), dates back to the 9th–12th centuries under Muslim rule and was later restored during the Christian era.
La Muela was Ágreda's first defensive structure, constructed during the Caliphate of Cordoba and used the tizones building method. The tower belonged to the castle of La Muela, also referred to as the castle of La Mota, and was built in the early half of the 9th century. Extending from the castle is the Moorish wall, which features two gates: the Arab Water Gate, or Gate of La Muela, located next to the tower, and the Caliphal Arch, also called the Cemetery Gate.

### Architecture

This defensive tower is part of a fortress that includes the wall and the Puerta del Agua (Water Gate), which features a distinctive horseshoe-shaped arch. During the Moorish period, the Torreón belonged to the fortified complex of La Muela, which included the medina (urban center). Historical evidence suggests the area had two mosques, with the primary mosque likely situated at the highest point. The complex may have also contained baths, gardens, and narrow alleys typical of Moorish urban design. The Puerta del Agua was rebuilt during the early Christian Reconquista and incorporated Moorish architectural elements, such as its horseshoe arch. This gate provided access to the fortified medina quarter, which served as a defensive stronghold and refuge for the garrison. The tower consists of two sections of similar height, with the lower section slightly wider for added stability. Built from masonry and ashlar, its walls are nearly two meters thick and topped with battlements. A 2012 restoration reconstructed its original platforms and floors.