Our Lady of the Pillar Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her miraculous appearancein Zaragoza, Spain at the time of the emergence of Christianity. She is the Patroness of Spain, the Spanish Civil Guard and the Hispanic world. Her shrine is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar situated by the Ebro river. History: According to ancient Spanish tradition, on January 2, 40 AD, in the early days of Christianity, James the Greater, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, was preaching the Gospel in what was then the pagan land of Caesaraugusta (now Zaragoza), in the Roman province of Hispania. He was disheartened with his mission, having made only a few converts. While he was praying by the banks of the Ebro River with some of his disciples, Mary miraculously appeared before him atop a pillar accompanied by angels. Mary assured James that the people would eventually be converted and their faith would be as strong as the pillar she was standing on. She gave him the pillar as a symbol and a wooden image of herself. James was also instructed to build a chapel on the spot where she left the pillar. It is generally believed that Mary would have appeared to James through bilocation, as she was still living either in Ephesus or Jerusalem at the time of this event. She is believed to have died three to fifteen years after Jesus ascended to Heaven. After establishing the church, James returned to Jerusalem with some of his disciples where he became a martyr, beheaded in 44 AD under Herod Agrippa. His disciples allegedly returned his body to Spain. The apparition of Our Lady of the Pillar is a widely accepted sacred tradition. Popes from earliest times issued Papal Bulls attesting to the authenticity of the shrine and the appearance of the Virgin Mary. Pope Calixtus III issued a bull in 1456 encouraging pilgrimage to the Lady of the Pillar. It acknowledged the miracle of its foundation and the miracles that had taken place in the Spanish shrine. It was also through this bull that the name Lady of the Pillar was confirmed. Description of the image and pillar: The pillar left by the Virgin Mary is presently enshrined in the same but larger Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. It is believed to be the same pillar given and promised by Mary, in spite of numerous disasters that beset the church. A fire in 1434 burned down the church that preceded the present basilica. The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is made of wood and stands 39 centimetres (15 in) tall while the 6 feet (1.8 m) pillar is made of jasper. The statue depicts Mary with the Child Jesus on her left arm, who has a dove sitting on his left palm. Since the 16th century, the pillar is usually draped in a skirt-like cover called manto (in English: mantle). As a whole, it is protected by a bronze case and then another case of silver. The image was canonically crowned in 1905 during the reign of Pope Pius X. The crown was designed by the Marquis of Griñi, valued at 450,000 pesetas (£18,750, 1910). The Shrine to Our Lady of the Pillar: The construction of the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragosa was started in 1681 and ended in 1711. Later additions in the 18th century expanded its dimensions to the present 130 metres (430 ft) in length, by 67 metres (220 ft) in width, crowned by eleven cupolas, four towers, and ten lantern towers. The cathedral was elevated to Minor Basilica status during the reign of Pope Pius XII in the 1950s. During the Spanish Civil War, two bombs hit and damaged the basilica but neither exploded. The event was reckoned a miracle, and the defused bombs have been on display at the basilica premises ever since. Feast day: The feast of Our Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on 12 October and she is the Patroness of the Hispanic peoples and the Spanish Civil Guard. A grand nine-day festival known as Fiestas del Pilar is celebrated in Zaragoza every year in her honor. The feast of the Lady of the Pillar is also a national holiday in Spain. Philippines: In the Philippines, ruled by Spain for over three hundred years, Our Lady of the Pillar is honored as the patroness of a number parishes and municipalities; seven are named Pilar in her honor. There are towns named Pilar in the provinces of Abra, Bataan, Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Surigao del Norte and Sorsogon. As in Spain, her feast day is celebrated every October 12. In Nasugbu, Our Lady of the Pillar is also the patroness, with October 12 as the feast day of Brgy. Lumbangan. An old story exists that at the site where the present church is built, an old woman found a small image of the ‘Lady of Pillar’ at a base of a banana tree. The people being quite religious in nature, approached the management of CADP and requested for a chapel to be built in the compound. Their request was approved and the first chapel was erected in 1939, as the ‘Lady of Pillar’ as the patron saint. In 1967 this old chapel was replaced with a concrete church. (sources: wikipedia / Natl Library of the Phils. images: Amor Ilao / flickr)
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 21:53:21 +0000
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