LADY OF EL PILAR (LA PILARICA)
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Pilgrimage to Zaragoza
From the first appearance of the Virgin Mary before the Apostle St. James during his return trip from the Iberian Peninsula to Palestine, the Marian tradition has been an integral part of Spanish spirituality and daily life.
Above all, we wish to highlight the historical importance of the Virgin of the Pilar in Zaragoza: The extraordinary appearance of the Virgin before St. James during her mortal life, she did not travel outside her native Palestine, and her presenting the column (pilar) that she brought with her to build the First Marian Temple of Christianity, and the association of the Virgin of the Pilar with St. James have been fundamental in Spain’s Christian heritage.
A fire in 1434 burned down the church that preceded the present basilica. The construction of the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza was started in 1681 and ended in 1711.
The wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is in the Late Gothic style. It stands 39 centimetres (15 in) tall, on a pillar of jasper with a height of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft). The statue depicts Mary with the Child Jesus on her left arm, who has a dove sitting on his left palm.
Some reports state that an earlier wooden image was destroyed when the church burned down in 1434, consistent with an attribution of the current image to Juan de la Huerta (d. 1462) or his school.
It appears that folk belief in some cases may be inclined to regard the Zaragoza image as miraculous, sculptured by the angels as they transported Mary from Jerusalem to Zaragoza; this mystical tradition goes back to María de Ágreda (d. 1665), herself the object of frequent "mystical bilocation" (i.e. she reported that she was often "transported by the aid of the angels" ), who gave an account to this effect in her Mystical City of God; however, unlike the tradition of the Marian apparition itself, the miraculous origin of the image is not part of the tradition recognized by the Holy See as canonical.
Since the 16th century, the pillar is usually draped in a skirt-like cover called manto "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.
Above all, we wish to highlight the historical importance of the Virgin of the Pilar in Zaragoza: The extraordinary appearance of the Virgin before St. James during her mortal life, she did not travel outside her native Palestine, and her presenting the column (pilar) that she brought with her to build the First Marian Temple of Christianity, and the association of the Virgin of the Pilar with St. James have been fundamental in Spain’s Christian heritage.
A fire in 1434 burned down the church that preceded the present basilica. The construction of the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza was started in 1681 and ended in 1711.
The wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is in the Late Gothic style. It stands 39 centimetres (15 in) tall, on a pillar of jasper with a height of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft). The statue depicts Mary with the Child Jesus on her left arm, who has a dove sitting on his left palm.
Some reports state that an earlier wooden image was destroyed when the church burned down in 1434, consistent with an attribution of the current image to Juan de la Huerta (d. 1462) or his school.
It appears that folk belief in some cases may be inclined to regard the Zaragoza image as miraculous, sculptured by the angels as they transported Mary from Jerusalem to Zaragoza; this mystical tradition goes back to María de Ágreda (d. 1665), herself the object of frequent "mystical bilocation" (i.e. she reported that she was often "transported by the aid of the angels" ), who gave an account to this effect in her Mystical City of God; however, unlike the tradition of the Marian apparition itself, the miraculous origin of the image is not part of the tradition recognized by the Holy See as canonical.
Since the 16th century, the pillar is usually draped in a skirt-like cover called manto "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.
