Jesuset del Miracle
year january people alcoy spain hold solemn procession procession miraculous baby jesus catalan jesuset del miracle commemorating theft liturgical vessel took place january john meadow joan prat cloth shearer entered local church stole silver ciborium containing forty piece sacramental bread pyx reliquary went back house hid item pile rock beneath stair led stable inhabited room house later eating sacramental bread broke open reliquary took bag containing relic put stolen item empty chest became worried item would easily found wrapped reliquary ciborium cloth buried stable next day priest discovered church robbed rang church bell reward thirty pound offered whoever recovered stolen item discovered thief town’s justice peace informed viceroy hue cry search made area even extending far xàtiva gandia rumour spread thief still alcoy people began suspect meadow crime day justice peace make cursory inspection meadow house even though find anything hour later arrested meadow excited nature crowd midday january john stevens joan esteve farm labourer received magistrate’s permission search meadows’ house quickly found dish recognized priest soon afterwards stevens uncovered cloth wrapped around object meadow brought back justice confessed everything criminal proceeding brought guidance lawyer “james margaret” jaume margarit executioner brought gandia case torture execution required meadow taken tried valencia inquisition crime sacrilege margaret asked sentence carried alcoy meadow could serve example criminal meadow beheaded dismembered five day later alcoy head hung door monastery saint augustus alcoy right hand assumed committed crime placed priest house square plaza de la casas de la curia rest remains buried scattered side road surrounding alcoy report crime pain emphasize fact john meadow french one main reason suspected crime report say meadow recently returned france year absence alcoy fact left france wrought religious war led people believe fled persecution catholic france addition general atmosphere xenophobia throughout country time also said statuette baby jesus house señora miralles next meadows’ house bent pointed place liturgical vessel hidden although written record part story appears seventy year crime committed november year justice peace juror public ombudsman took oral statement corroborated story day citizen alcoy searching object image baby jesus usually right arm raised two finger pointing upwards body erect bent waist arm finger pointed place object hidden longest statement came yearold widow jerónima vilaplana meadows’ house bought order consecrate señora miralles donated image baby jesus would venerated archbishop ribera proposed house converted convent renovated purpose opened october berenguer barceló julio historia de alcoy recopilación de documentos testimonios datos noticias alcoy llorens distribuidor tomo pp – spanish santonja cardona josep lluis el jesuset del miracle en història dalcoi alcoi ajuntament dalcoi editorial marfil sa centre alcoià destudis històrics arqueològics pp – isbn valencian catalan convent dagustines descalces dalcoi archived wayback machine spanish