English: Devotion to the Virgin Mary is an important element in Puerto Rican Catholicism. The Madonna is venerated in many forms, each with its own depiction. According to a Spanish legend, the apostle James, patron saint of Spain, one night saw a vision of the Virgin Mary while he was praying on the banks of the Ebro at Saragoza. Mary asked that a church be built on that spot. The church, Santa Maria la Mayor, was erected along with a statue of the Virgin mounted on a marble pillar.