In emptied Spain, where every euro is looked at twice, keeping a church standing can become a real challenge. Falling roofs, humidity, propped-up bell towers and parishes that survive based on raffles and donations from their neighbors, who are increasingly older, become a problem that can take years to repair.
However, there are times when certain ‘miracles’ occur that arrive in an unexpected way. In Villalón de Campos, a town of 1,473 inhabitants and located in Valladolid, the future of its Gothic-Mudejar temple seemed doomed to half-hearted repairs until a neighbor decided to change history from her will.
Ángela Cruz Maroto, also known as ‘Geli’, left more than one and a half million euros in her inheritance to her parish with a very clear condition: that it be used to restore the church of San Miguel. “Its maintenance was practically impossible,” they admit in the town, who, upon hearing the news, confessed their joy: “It has been a great surprise and a contribution that gives to the town that has fulfilled us all.”
1,500,000 euros to the parish
San Miguel is not just any church. Its origin dates back to the 12th and 14th centuries and its current image is the result of successive construction phases between the 13th and 19th centuries. It was declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument in 2020 and anyone who wants to visit it will have to go to the main square, where it also shares space with the jurisdictional building, forming a first-class monumental complex.
“We have fixed half the roof and now we will be able to undertake the rest,” the priest acknowledges. The North of Castile. Now, with Geli’s inheritance, “there will be no shortage of destiny, with the respite of knowing that from now on there is all that money to be able to face whatever comes without having to go into debt.”
But, behind this million-dollar donation is the personal story of this neighbor who worked for many years as an administrator at the Villalón de Campos City Council until she married Francisco José Martínez-Franco and moved to Madrid. Despite the change in life, he never broke his bond with this town.
The truth is that in Villalón they remember her as a “very loving and family-oriented” person, who loved to play with the children of the town and teach them traditional songs and games. And although he has left a good amount to the church, his generosity has not been limited to the parish: he has also left his house in Plaza de Chamberí, in Madrid, to Cáritas. Far from thinking that this is an isolated gesture, one of his brothers, who was a priest, also bequeathed all his assets to the Catholic Church.
“He was an angel for the people”
Despite his good deed, the parish priest of Villalón never managed to deal personally with the benefactor, but even the mayor, José Ángel Alonso, does not hesitate to describe what his gesture meant: “Her name was Ángela and she has been an angel in this case with her people.”
And, under the context in which areas like this are found, decisions like Angela’s change the destiny of a place. “We are all very happy that Geli has had that detail with the town,” say the neighbors. Perhaps for this reason, in Villalón de Campos, her name is no longer only that of one of the most beloved neighbors, but she has now become the “angel” of the parish.