9 JULY – SAINT VERONICA’S DAY
As Jesus was making his way to Calvary, covered in blood, sweat and grime, a young woman pushed through the line of Roman soldiers and pressed a clean linen cloth to His face.
Silently, to thank her, Jesus left a perfect photographic image of Himself on her cloth.
Nice story. Trouble is, the miracle is not to be found anywhere in the Bible.
Experts think ‘Veronica’ is a corruption of ‘vera icon’, ‘true picture’, and a complete fiction.
In Spain, it’s the name given to the classic passing of the bull with the cape.
9 JULY, 1887 – EMILIO MOLA BORN
Was Franco very lucky, or very ruthless?
In the period 1936-7, when he was trying to consolidate his position as Spain’s dictator, he had two rivals – generals Emilio Mola and Jose Sanjurjo.
Mola was the biggest threat to Franco’s ambitions.
In July 1937, Mola was killed in a plane crash. He was only 49.
Sanjurjo had died exactly a year earlier, also in a plane crash.
The way was clear for Franco. Coincidence, or something darker?
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hemingway, Pamplona and me – why I run the bulls for my legendary dad’
9 JULY, 1909 – MANOLO CARACOL BORN
If you ever see a black-and-white film on Spanish TV, the man belting out the flamenco song is probably Manuel Ortega Suarez from Seville.
He called himself ‘Manolo Caracol’, and was already a famous flamenco star before he met Lola Flores in 1940.
They, as a couple, went on to dominate Spanish cinema for two decades.
Manolo was always available to his fans in a way modern stars would scorn.
He ran flamenco clubs in Sevilla and Madrid, and was often there, ready to shake hands and share a whiskey.
10 JULY – THE FEAST OF SAINTS JUSTA & RUFINA
Sisters Justa and Rufina were saints who, unlike Veronica, seem to have actually existed – but the acts attributed to them are a little hard to believe.
They lived in Sevilla (then known as ‘Hispalis’) in the third century AD. According to the legend, they were martyred for their Christian beliefs.
In the 1500s, the story goes, an earthquake was devastating Sevilla. The tower of the cathedral, the ‘Giralda’, was wobbling and clearly about to fall.
That’s when the sisters came down from heaven, and steadied it. Murillo (also a sevillano) depicted the miracle in a famous painting.
10 JULY 1997 – MIGUEL ANGEL BLANCO KIDNAPPED
As part of its campaign to win independence for the Basque provinces, ETA kidnapped a town councillor in July 1997.
Miguel Angel Blanco, himself a Basque, was 29 years old.
Unless the Madrid government released Basque terrorists from prison, said ETA, this hostage would be killed.
If Madrid had complied, this would have encouraged the terrorists to kidnap more innocent people.
No deal was made. After two months, ETA murdered its captive.
11 JULY 1920 – EMPRESS EUGENIE DIES
Eugenia de Montijo, born in 1826, was a minor Spanish aristocrat from Teba, near Ronda.
She was propelled onto the world stage in 1853, when she married Louis Napoleon, nephew of the other Napoleon.
She ‘frenchified’ her name to Eugenie and set about being the power
behind the French throne.
The Bonapartes embroiled France in disastrous wars and were driven from power in 1870.
Eugenie lived in Kent until her death in 1920, aged 94.
11 JULY 2002 – PARSLEY ISLAND IS INVADED
‘La Isla de Perejil’ (Parsley Island) is a lump of rock in the Strait of Gibraltar, about the size of a tennis court. No-one lives there and it has no buildings.
It’s located just 200 metres off the Moroccan coast, but if you stand on the rock, you can easily see Spain. It is technically Spanish.
In 2002, a group of Moroccan soldiers landed on Parsley Island and claimed it as theirs. A week later, the Spanish military expelled them.
11 JULY 2010 – SPAIN WINS THE WORLD CUP
The World Cup tournament of 2010 was played in South Africa.
Spain made it to the final, where they met the Netherlands.
The match, played in Johannesburg, was goalless after 90 minutes and went into extra time. With only four minutes left to play, and a penalty shoot-out looming, Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta scored with a half-volley.
Spain, for the very first time, were champions of the world!
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