Virgen_de_los_Ángeles

Virgen de los Ángeles

Virgen de los Ángeles

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The Virgen de los Ángeles (Virgin of the Angels) is Costa Rica's patron saint, also known as La Negrita.

For other uses, see Queen of Angels (disambiguation).
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Dia de la Virgen de los Ángeles (English: Day of the Virgin of the Angels) is a Costa Rican holiday celebrating the Virgen.[1]

Background

According to tradition, La Negrita, the Black Virgin, is a small (less than a meter tall), probably indigenous or mixed race, representation of the Virgin Mary found on 2 August 1635 by a native woman. As the story goes, when she tried to take the statuette with her, it miraculously reappeared twice back where she had found it. The townspeople then built a shrine around the statue.[2]

In 1824, the Virgin was declared Costa Rica’s patron saint. La Negrita now resides on a gold, jewel-studded platform at the main altar in the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in Cartago. Each 2 August, on the anniversary of the statuette’s miraculous discovery, pilgrims from every corner of the country (and beyond) walk the 22 km from San José to the basilica. Many of the penitent complete the last few hundred meters of the pilgrimage on their knees. This basilica is equally visited by tourists and locals.[3]

Pope Pius XI authorized the canonical coronation of the image by decree of 20 October 1924, granted to Bishop Rafael Otón Castro y Jiménez. The coronation ceremony was carried out on 25 April 1926.

In 2014, a replica of the statue was enthroned in the Vatican City.[4]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles". (English: Lonely Planet website entry
  2. [2]
    "The Pilgrimage to Cartago".
  3. [3]
    "NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOS ANGELES".
  4. [4]
    "Costa Rica's patron saint to be enthroned in the Vatican". The Tico Times. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
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