Miracle at Sagunto Adventist College

The amazing story behind the founding of the school in Spain.

By Andrew McChesney

The school principal had a big job to do.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church wanted to buy land for a new school in Spain, and he was assigned to find it.

But where?

The principal, José López, started by looking at land in and around Spain’s capital, Madrid. The land cost much more than the 3.5 million pesetas that he had been given to spend.

So José took a look at the land in and around the second-biggest city in Spain, Barcelona. The land also cost much more money than he had.

José took his search to the third-biggest city in Spain, Valencia. This was closer to home for him because he was the principal of a Seventh-day Adventist school operating out of a church in Valencia. But many students, studying to be pastors, were enrolled in the school, and a bigger school was needed.

José looked around Valencia and contacted local real estate agents to help. They told him that the land cost much more money than he had.

Then a real estate agent called José to take a look at a piece of land located 19 miles (30 kilometers) north of Valencia.

José liked what he saw. The land was in the hilly countryside. Part of it was covered with a forest of magnificent, green pine trees, perfect for hiking and camping. Even more important, the main part of the land contained abandoned groves of carob and olive trees. José knew this would be an ideal location to construct the school.

“This is a beautiful place,” the real estate agent said. “But I have to warn you. It’s expensive.”

He said the owner, an elderly woman in her 80s, wanted the enormous sum of 4.5 million pesetas — 1 million pesetas more than José had.

José asked to speak with the owner personally.

“We like this place,” he told her. “But it is too expensive. We only have 3.5 million pesetas.”

The elderly owner thought for a moment.

“Let me talk with my daughters this afternoon,” she said. “My late husband gave me some conditions for the sale of the land.”

The woman spoke privately with her two daughters, both in their 50s. They reminded her that their father had set a condition for the sale of the land before he died.

“Remember, Papa didn’t want to sell the land unless it is used to open a school,” a daughter said.

The elderly owner met with José again.

“What do you want this land for?” she asked.

“We want to open a school,” José replied.

The elderly owner looked surprised. She hadn’t expected to hear that. She hadn’t been able to sell the land for years because no one wanted it to open a school.

“How much did you say you have?” she said.

“We have 3.5 million,” he said.

The elder owner thought for a moment.

“My daughters want to sell it for 4.5 million,” she said. “But I am very old, and I don’t want to die without seeing the wishes of my husband fulfilled. Because you want to open a school, let me talk with my daughters again.”

The woman told her daughters about the situation, and then she met with José again. She was suspicious that José really planned to open a school.

“I want to make sure that this is for a school,” she said. “You can have the land for 3.5 million, but you have to sign a promise that you really will open a school.”

José couldn’t believe his ears. He almost fell to the ground in shock. He couldn’t believe that the owner was willing to offer such a big discount from the original price.

The owner continued talking.

“My husband was a teacher, and it was his wish and dream for a school to be built on this land,” she said. “The property has stood vacant for many years, but now I can die peacefully because I have fulfilled the wishes of my husband.”

About three years later, in 1974, Sagunto Adventist College opened on the land.

Today, the campus has about 700 students studying in its elementary school, high school, music school, school of Spanish for foreign students, and seminary for theology students and future pastors.

Dr. José López is now 90 years old and lives in a nursing home near Sagunto Adventist College. He grew emotional as he remembered the moment when the elderly owner announced that she would sell the land for the school.

“It was a miracle!” he exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

Dr. José López remembering how he felt when he learned that the church would receive the land. In English and Spanish. (Andrew McChesney / Adventist Mission)