Saint of the day July 9: Virgin of Chiquinquirá. Catholic Saints

Every July 9, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá is celebrated, or, simply, the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, proclaimed Patroness of Colombia by Pope Pius VII in 1829. On that occasion, the Pope granted a special day for the celebration liturgy of this Marian dedication. Later, in 1919, Our Lady of Chiquinquirá – as she is also known – would be canonically crowned by decree of Pope Saint Pius X.

The Sanctuary of the Patroness of Colombia, declared a Basilica in 1927 by Pope Pius XI, is visited every year by thousands of faithful, especially during the days around the central festival. In the enclosure there is the original canvas with the image of Our Lady, today devotedly guarded by the Dominican brothers.

The picture

The image of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá is painted on a canvas belonging to the viceregal period of Colombian art. This canvas is a cotton blanket more than a meter long, framed in a frame adorned with the national coat of arms of Colombia.

The Virgin Mary appears dressed in a pink tunic, covered by a blue mantle, while a white veil covers her head. The holy rosary hangs from the Virgin’s left hand, while she holds the Child Jesus with her arms. This one, for his part, holds a thread tied to the foot of a little bird.

To the right of the Virgin appears Saint Anthony of Padua. The saint holds a book with his left hand on which the Child Jesus is standing, with a globe in his hands; at the same time, the saint holds a palm leaf in his right hand. To the left of the Virgin is the Apostle Saint Andrew, reading the Holy Scripturewhile supporting the cross in X, a sign of martyrdom.

The painting is adorned with two crowns in the upper corners, two additional rosaries, the Boyacá Cross -highest award granted by the Republic of Colombia to outstanding people-, the Order of San Carlos and the Order of Congress. The edge of the painting is made up of thirty semicircles with coats of arms of the Holy See, the Province of Chiquinquirá and some dioceses. Two silver roses also hang from the painting. To protect the relic, since 1954 the canvas has been protected by glass.

Name

The voice “Chiquinquirá” comes from Chibcha Xequenquirá, which means “swampy place covered in fog”, or also “priestly town”, in allusion to the pre-Columbian ritual practices that were once carried out on the Fúquene Lagoon Island, located 80 km from Bogotá. This lagoon, according to legend, was guarded by Fu, a deity who represented the demon, with the body of a man but with the head and tail of a fox.

In this sense, the Virgin of Chiquinquirá represents the victory of the merciful God over the fear and evil instilled by the cult of Fu.

universal devotion

Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II had a special closeness to this devotion. Saint John XXIII, for example, with the intention of asking for the successful completion of the Second Vatican Council, offered through the Apostolic Nuncio in Colombia what is called a “candle of purification”, to be lit before the Marian image.

In 1986, Saint John Paul II visited the Basilica and consecrated Colombia to the Virgin Mary, asking her to grant “the inestimable gift of peace, the overcoming of all hatred and resentment, the reconciliation of all brothers.” Those words invoking authentic peace, that which is born from evangelical justice and never from weapons – in those years Colombian society was immersed in an escalation of violence – definitely still resonate, due to their relevance: “Let the violence cease.” and the guerrilla. May dialogue progress and be consolidated and peaceful coexistence inaugurated. May new paths of justice and prosperity be opened,” added the Pontiff.

Our Lady of Chiquinquirá is also the patron saint of the Zulia state in Venezuela and the city of Caraz in Peru.

In the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela the feast of Our Lady is celebrated on November 18. Venezuelans profess great devotion to her, and as a sign of this, on that date the Mother of God is celebrated in the Basilica of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá in Maracaibo (Venezuela).

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