Bolivia celebrates the Virgin of Copacabana, patron saint and queen of the country

This August 5, the Catholic Church celebrates Our Lady of Copacabana, patron saint of Bolivia, whose celebrations coincide with the anniversary of the Homeland. Additionally, August 1 commemorated the 99th anniversary of her coronation as “Queen of Bolivia.”

In the National Shrine, in the Diocese of El Alto, the Misa central this noon was presided over by the bishop, Mons. Giovanni Arana, who highlighted the presence of the Virgin Mary accompanying the pilgrimage of the Church.

The prelate called to imitate the Virgin in “this capacity to listen to the word of God, this capacity to put it into practice and this capacity to assume the consequences in our lives.”

Devotion to the Virgin of Copacabana began in the viceregal era, with the beginnings of Evangelization in South America. In 1583, the indigenous sculptor Francisco Tito Yupanqui made a carved image of the Virgin Mary, with indigenous and Spanish features.

The image was placed in the town of Copacabana, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where it quickly began to be a pilgrimage destination, under the name “Virgen de la Candelaria” or “Our Lady of Copacabana.”

Numerous miracles and divine favors were associated with her intercession, making her fame grow in the region, and turning her, over time, into a central figure of the Bolivian Catholic faith.

Mons. Augusto Sieffert, then Bishop of La Paz, crowned the Virgin of Copacabana as Queen of Bolivia on August 1, 1925, in the presence of the then president Bautista Saavedra and his wife; the Apostolic Nuncio, Mons. Gaetano Cicognani; bishops, ministers, ambassadors and other authorities.

That day, aboard trains and ships, a multitude of pilgrims arrived from different cities and countries, and the coronation of the Virgin of Copacabana began the celebrations for the centenary of the creation of Bolivia, whose 200th anniversary falls on the 6th. August 2025.

According to the Bolivian Episcopal Conferencethe doctoral thesis of the theologian, historian, teacher and researcher Erika Aldunate Loza, titled History of the devotion of the Virgin of Copacabanareveals historical testimonies that allow this devotion to be located as the result of a “historical construction” linked to the evangelization of indigenous peoples.

Every year, both on February 2 – the day of the Virgin of Candelaria – and on August 5 – the celebration of the Virgin of Copacabana – a crowd comes to the place for the celebrations, which combine Christian traditions with typical festivities of the indigenous communities. .

In the Archdiocese of La Paz, the Nuestra Señora de Copacabana parish, in the Villa Copacabana area, celebrates this date with novenas, serenades, and celebrations of the Eucharist.

This Monday, August 5, the parish also celebrates its 66th birthday. At 7:30 p.m. (local time) the Mass will be celebrated with blessing of images and songs by Mariachi Los Reales.