Waiting for a miracle

IN 1961 the town of San Sebastian de Garabandal in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain had only 80 households.

Most of its 300 residents were goat herders and farmers with small holdings. Staunchly Catholic, it is said to have been partisan towards the Republican side during the civil war that tore Spain apart.

Its summers are temperate, its winters can be harsh and until recently it was reached by travelling up a narrow dirt track only suitable for donkeys and carts. It was, in short, nothing particularly special.