Our Lady of Altagracia
Image of the Virgin / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Our Lady of Altagracia or the Virgin of Altagracia, (Our Lady of High Grace) in Catholic Marian devotion, is a title of Mary by which she is honored as the “protective and spiritual mother of the Dominican people.”[1][2] The title also is used for a particular image of Mary with the baby Jesus in a manger. Her patronal feast day is January 21, a holiday/non-working day in the Dominican Republic on which many faithful devotees of the Virgin come from all over the Dominican territory to the Basilica-Cathedral of Our lady of Altagracia, in the province of La Altagracia. Devotion to her is also prominent in areas outside of the Dominican Republic where Dominican influence flourishes, including New York City, where her feast marks the beginning of Dominican Heritage Month.[3]
La Virgen de la Altagracia | |
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Protective and Spiritual Mother of the Dominican People | |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; introduced to Hispaniola in 1502 |
Major shrine | Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia |
Feast | January 21 |
Attributes | The Star of Bethlehem and 12 stars that represent the tribes of Israel and a silver crown |
Patronage | The Dominican Republic and in any difficult situation |
The image of the Virgin of Altagracia shows symbols and imagery that are important in Marian devotion, including Jesus in a manger, a crown of stars and a mantle of stars for Mary, and symbolic colors.
The feast day was officially established by a bishop in 1692, but devotion had probably begun a century or two earlier. One story said that the venerated image is based on an appearance of Mary to a young girl in Spain, and that the painting was brought to Hispaniola by two brothers when the Spanish were establishing a colony; another says that a girl on the island had a dream of the "Virgin of Altagracia," prompting her father to find the image and bring it to the village of Salvaleón de Higüey around 1500. The Virgin's intercession is credited for victory of a Spanish-Dominican force over a French force in 1691.
In the 20th century, this devotion was given various forms of affirmation and approval, including the Dominican Congress' declaration of an official holiday, a papal declaration by Pius XI, and a blessing of the Basicilia-Cathedral (then called the Sanctuary of Altagracia) by Pope John Paul II during his 1979 visit. Similarly, Pope Francis sent a golden rose to honor her in 2022.[4]