Bishop declares sanctuary to the Nuestra Señora del Rosario “la Cautivita” church, in Argentina

The Prelate Bishop of Deán Funes (Argentina), Mons. Enrique Eguía Seguí, declared the Nuestra Señora del Rosario parish, known as “la Cautivita”, as a sanctuary, an emblematic 67-centimeter image whose origins date back more than three centuries ago in the north of the province of Córdoba.

The celebrations began on October 2 in the town of Río Seco, with “the descent” of the image of “la Cautivita” from the remains of the old chapel to the parish temple. That day the novena and the recitation of the Rosary of Dawn began at dawn, prayers that the faithful have been carrying out for more than three centuries.

On October 7, the day of the Virgin of the Rosary, the celebrations were held in the place where the ruins of the original oratory from 1590 are located. In addition, from October 10 to 12, the 1st Religious Tourism Meeting of Córdoba took place, with the participation of Mons. Eguía Seguí, the local parish priest, and the Dominican friar Gustavo Juárez, who arrived from San Miguel de Tucumán.

On Sunday, October 12, the central Mass and the procession were celebrated with the passage of floats with Marian scenes and gaucho groups devoted to the Virgin.

During the Eucharist, Bishop Eguía announced the decree with which the parish, built in 1873, was declared as “Our Lady of the Rosary Diocesan Sanctuary, Captive Virgin Mother.”

“She now captivates us with her love, attracts us, invites us to find her, so that she may always show us and teach us her son Jesus,” the bishop said about the Virgin, according to the AICA agency.

“The Cautivita knows about captivity, she knows our needs, problems and difficulties that make us feel captive to pain, evil and injustice. Mary then consoles us and in her son Jesus gives us hope so as not to give up,” he stressed.

Brief history of “la Cautivita” or the Captive Virgin

In the 16th century, between Córdoba and Santiago del Estero, there was a simple rural hermitage, where local residents venerated an image of Our Lady of the Rosary, considered miraculous by the faithful.

Because it is a place that is difficult to access and because it has many faithful, the then Bishop of Tucumán, Mons. Melchor Maldonado de Saavedra, moved the image to the chapel of rancher Domingo Gómez, located in a more accessible place, which increased devotion, and little by little it became an important spiritual center in the region.

In 1748, the “abipones” of Chaco, surprisingly attacked the Río Seco area, looting everything, taking away the images of Our Lady of the Rosary and that of San José. The locals then pursued the attackers and managed to recover the Marian image, which then took the name “la Cautivita.”