Saragoza: Our Lady of the Pillar

The Basilica Cathedral of the Pillar is the most important shrine in Spain. Its influence has global outreach.

History

A church called the "Saint Mary House" already existed in Saragoza before the Muslim invasion in 711. In 1118, the Aragonese conquered the city and made it the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. Only the tympanum still remains from the first Romanesque church built at that time.

Tradition of the "Pillar" probably began at a later date

The "Pillar" is a column of alabaster on which the Virgin Mary would have stood during an apparition to Saint James the Greater in the year 40. The story of this apparition only dates back to the thirteenth century; the mentality of that time insisted that all the saints have a holy apparition and there is no evidence for this story. [1]. Here's an excerpt:

"Saint James the Greater heard the voices of angels who sang: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace ...' He knelt down at once, saw the Virgin Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ between two choirs of a thousand angels standing on a marble pillar ... Then, the Blessed Virgin Mary called Blessed James the Apostle very softly to come to her, and said: ‘You should place the altar of the chapel near this... the power of the Most High will do miracles and wonders to those who call to me in need. This pillar will remain in place until the end of the world and there will always be someone in this town to venerate the name of Jesus Christ my Son.' " [1]

In 1434, a devastating fire forced the Church authorities to destroy the church and to rebuild a Romanesque Gothic-Mudejar building, completed in 1515. The building consisted of a single nave, cloisters and a chapel housing the Pillar.

When Spain was unified, the devotion of Our Lady del Pilar spread throughout Spain. Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar! A simple coincidence? [2]

In 1640, a spectacular miracle

One day a young man named Miguel Juan Pellicer di Calandra had a fairly serious accident. His knee needed to be amputated. He prayed before surgery, and again afterwards, thanking God for still being alive. But he could no longer work and he became a beggar... Each day when he returned to his home, he would put oil from the lamps in the sanctuary on his scar. Two years and five months after the amputation, after praying to Our Lady of the Pillar as usual, he fell asleep and the next morning he awoke with two legs!

An investigation was conducted and the news of the miracle spread. In 1681, work began to enlarge the shrine, which was completed in 1872. [2]

In 1771, Goya painted the frescoes in the vault of the small choir, representing the adoration of God's Name, as well as the fresco Martyrum Regina (Queen of Martyrs) on one of the domes.

Symbolism of the pillar

In the Book of Exodus (Ex 13: 21-22), the people freed from slavery in Egypt were guided by a pillar of fire at night and protected by a column of cloud that separated them from the Egyptians during the day. The people stopped where the column stopped and they started up when the column started moving. This column of fire and cloud signified God's presence, and in particular, foreshadowed Christ, the Emmanuel, God with us. Mary attracted his presence at the time of the Incarnation and still attracts his presence in our lives today.

The column, like Jacob's Ladder, unites heaven and earth. It is the symbol of Mary because in her, heaven and earth were united at the time of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (Lk 1: 26-38).

A pillar gives strength to a building: the column is a symbol of the strength of Mary's steadfast faith and love and the symbol of the people's trust in Mary.

The column is the fundamental architectural feature that a building relies on. Christ is the cornerstone of the Church, he binds everything together, but we might add that his "pillar" is the Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, Our Lady was present with a few disciples at Calvary when Jesus shed his Blood, spilled the water of baptism and gave up the Spirit (Jn 19: 23-34). The Church was born when the first disciples prayed with the Virgin Mary before Pentecost in the Cenacle.

Since Pius XII, Our Lady of the Pillar has been the patron saint of all Spanish-speaking nations. In addition, Our Lady of the Pillar is the patron saint of the Imus diocese, the Archdiocese and the city of Zamboanga in the Philippines. [3]

Saint John Paul II visited the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar in 1982.

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[1] Patrick SBALCHIERO article "Saint James," in: René LAURENTIN and Patrick SBALCHIERO, Dictionnaire encyclopédique des apparitions de la Vierge. Fayard, Paris 2007.

[2] Attilio GALLI, Madre della Chiesa dei Cinque continenti, Ed. Segno, Udine, 1997.

[3] www.catholicforum.com/forums/forum.php;