Michael Servetus Country

It is pretty far out in the country, in farmland along one of the tributaries of the Ebro River, about three hours' drive west of Barcelona, the birthplace of our early hero, Miguel Servet, Michael Servetus. It's prosperous farm country; there are big warehouses and lush looking fields and modern equipment alongside the signs of long habitation. An ancient church here, a hilltop tower there, a cluster of ancient looking houses over there. And outside one of the clusters of ancient looking houses, an official sign pointing toward "Miguel Servet Casa Natal¨ the birth house of Michael Servetus. It seems that the Unitarian hero and martyr we know as Michael Servetus is actually a bit of a celebrity in eastern Aragon.

At the annual meeting of the Servetus Society, new publications were announced, new partners from the scholarly community were welcomed, and a good financial situation was recorded. They get support from the government of Aragon, as well as from their private donors and foundations. The mayor was there to announce plans for more money and more attention to the ancient monastery where Servetus´ father was an important business manager. Apparetly, he´s enough of an attraction to be worth public attention. There´s a high school named after him in Zaragosa, for instance, a suitable memorial for a man who valued education and thinking for yourself more than anything.

In farm country, it´s common to think that people don´t have anything to do but work n the fields and vote for the most conservative candidates available. That seems not to be the case where the memory of Servetus is cultivated along with the grain and the grapes.