Description
Miracle!
Book Summary
This book unravels the genesis and evolution of one of the most unique religious and financial phenomena in contemporary Spain. Starting with the alleged Marian apparition in El Palmar de Troya in 1968, journalist Jorge Decarlini reconstructs the story of Clemente Domínguez and Manuel Alonso Corral, two men who founded an economic empire and a parallel church. The work offers a detailed account of how charisma and ambition combined to create a conglomerate with properties around the world, challenging the Vatican and captivating the most traditionalist sectors of Catholicism.
What is it about?
On March 30, 1968, four young girls claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary on a farm in El Palmar de Troya, a small town in Seville. What could have been just another anecdote of late Francoism became, thanks to the intervention of two key figures, the origin of a religious and financial organization of global reach. Clemente Domínguez Gómez, the charismatic visionary who suffered stigmata and fell into trances, and Manuel Alonso Corral, the strategist who managed the finances, built an empire from scratch.
The work narrates how, by appealing to the nostalgia for a Catholicism predating the Second Vatican Council, they managed to attract thousands of followers and accumulate property on five continents. The story connects this history with the global context of 1968, from the May protests in France to the Vietnam War, showing how a local "miracle" intertwined with international politics and economics to create a structure that endures to this day.
Main Themes
- Analysis of the creation and consolidation of a traditionalist Christian sect.
- The intersection between religious charisma, economic ambition, and financial power.
- The sociopolitical context of late Francoism and the reaction to the Second Vatican Council.
- The construction of a real estate and financial empire based on a phenomenon of faith.
- The psychological profiles of the leaders: the ecstatic visionary and the pragmatic manager.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in investigative journalism, contemporary Spanish history, and religious phenomena. It will also be of great interest to those seeking to understand how sectarian movements are formed, the relationship between faith and business, and the inner workings of organizations that operate outside of official ecclesiastical institutions. It is an ideal read for fans of chronicles that explore the most unusual side of social reality.
What this book offers
- Exhaustive, well-documented research into a real, large-scale case.
- Insight into the mechanisms of leadership and recruitment in religious groups.
- A narrative that connects a local event with the global history of 1968.
- Perspective on the survival of Catholic traditionalism in the 21st century.
- A journalistic narrative that unravels a financial and power plot.
Technical Details
- Author: DECARLINI, JORGE
- Publisher: LIBROS DEL K.O, S.L.L
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: REPORTAGE AND COLLECTION OF JOURNALISTIC ARTICLES, CHRISTIAN AND QUASI-CHRISTIAN CULTS AND SECTS, MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT
- Collection: VARIOUS
- Publication Date: February 2021
- Number of pages: 368
- Weight: 671 g
Editorial Review
This is a work of narrative journalism that addresses a fascinating episode in Spain's recent history with rigor and charm. Jorge Decarlini's research not only documents the facts but also succeeds in weaving a plot that hooks the reader, showing the complexity of a phenomenon where the spiritual and the material are blurred. It is a book of interest as much for its documentary value as for the power of a story that surpasses fiction, offering a lucid look at the mechanisms of power and faith.