Virgen de los desamparados
By Alicia Armstrong
Every year on May 12, the people of Valencia Spain, gather around to feast in celebration of the magnificent, and mysterious statue virgen de los desamparados, otherwise known as “our lady of abandoned ones.” Many years ago in a confraternity institution that takes care of abandoned children, three young extraordinary handsome men came and knocked on the confraternity’s door, the young men offered to carve a needed statue for the confraternity in return they be granted shelter, all necessary materials needed, and a room where they won’t be disturbed so they may work in peace.
Their offer was accepted and after three days of being locked in the room, the people of the confraternity thought it would be smart to bother them to see if they were alive. The men of the confraternity knocked on the door but no one answered worried they broke open into the room only to find that the young men were gone, and in the center of the room stood a beautiful magnificent statue.
The confraternity searched for the young men to congratulate them for their amazing work, but the young men were never found. To this day the mystery of the young men’s whereabouts remain, there are many questions that still puzzle the people of Valencia, where are the young men? How could they do this in three days? Were they angels? None of which have never been answered.
Where they angels? There are stories from the confraternity who said that they did feel this mystical power coming from the room from where the three men stayed, a little boy who was an orphan at that time talked about how safe and more protected he felt at the confraternity. It does make sense in my opinion that the extraordinary gorgeous men were angels, of all places in Valencia the men choose to go to a orphanage, and they completed a highly detailed, beautiful statue that would take a normal human at least three years to complete.
So the it’s up to you, do you believe that the men were angels? Given all the information you’ve read? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!
