Garabandal

Garabandal is a small village in Cantabria, northern Spain, officially known as San Sebastián de Garabandal. In the early 1960s, four local girls reported a series of Marian apparitions that they claimed began in 1961 and continued until 1965. According to the visionaries, the Virgin Mary delivered messages urging repentance, prayer, and devotion to the Eucharist, and warned of a coming time of purification. They also described prophecies involving a universal warning, a future miracle, and a sign to be seen by the world, though specifics varied and the dates were not consistently corroborated.

The events drew national and international attention and prompted investigations by the local Catholic diocese. In line with Catholic procedure, authorities examined the visions, but the church has not authenticated them as supernatural, and it has issued cautions about pilgrimage and public devotion associated with Garabandal. Official declarations by the Holy See have not endorsed the apparitions.

Despite the lack of canonical approval, Garabandal became a pilgrimage site for some Catholics, and the village saw visitors and media interest during the peak years. A chapel and a small infrastructure to accommodate pilgrims were developed, though the community remains largely rural and quiet.

Today Garabandal is remembered as one of the more controversial Marian apparition claims of the 20th century. It continues to be discussed in Catholic and secular contexts as an example of modern Marian devotion and how the Church evaluates claimed private revelations.