Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana

Last updated
Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
Basilica Nuestra Señora de Copacabana
Church of copacabana.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Catholic Church
District Diocese of El Alto
Province Manco Kapac
Rite Roman Rite
Location
Location Copacabana, Bolivia
Municipality Copacabana
State La Paz
Geographic coordinates 16°10′00″S 69°05′07″O
Architecture
Architect(s) Francisco Jiménez de Siguenza
Style Renaissance
Groundbreaking1669
Completed1679
Website
Sitio Web

The Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana is a 17th-century Spanish colonial shrine that houses the image of the Virgen de Copacabana. [1] It is located in the town of Copacabana, Bolivia on the shores of Lake Titicaca near the Altiplano region. Our Lady of Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia. [2]

Contents

History

Around 1576, indigenous sculptor Francisco Tito Yupanqui carved an image of Nuestra Senora de Virgen de la Candelaria. [3] It was brought to Copacabana, as the statue of the tutelar protectress of the community. Soon miracles were attributed to the intercession of the Virgen de Copacabana . An adobe shrine constructed about 1583. The shrine was constructed at the foot of a small, steep, hill in a location formerly known as the Temple of the Sun--an area sacred to the Inca--it remains as one of two principle sacred places to both the indigenous peoples and Catholics alike; the other location being the Virgin of Urkupiña near Cochabamba, Bolivia. [4] [5] In 1589, friars of the Order of Saint Augustine were entrusted with the management of the shrine, establishing a monastery and maintaining a detailed record of the Virgin's miracles. [6]

The Augustinians built their first chapel between the 1614 and 1618. The current building was built between 1669 and 1679 [7] by the Spanish architect Francisco Jiménez de Siguenza replacing the former church. It was officially elevated to the rank of Basilica in 1940. [3]

Cerro El Calvario

Calvario above Copacabana Copacabana Lake Titicaca October2007.jpg
Calvario above Copacabana

The hilltop overlooking Lake Titicaca was rededicated as a "calvario" or replica of Calvary and is topped by the Stations of the Seven Sorrows of Mary and an altar with a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a major centre of worship throughout the region during Holy Week, especially on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

April 2013 Robbery

In the early hours of Monday, 22 April 2013, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana was robbed and the image of the Virgen de Copacabana was stripped of her gold and silver accessories. [8] Initial reports indicate that twenty-eight items, including the sculpture of the baby Jesus, were removed from the Virgen de Copacabana by thieves who entered the building using a ladder stolen from a nearby telecommunications station. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrines to the Virgin Mary</span> Typically Catholic shrines

A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinations of Christian pilgrimages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Madonna</span> Artistic depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus

The term Black Madonna or Black Virgin tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. Examples of the Black Madonna can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Pillar</span> Title of the Virgin Mary

Our Lady of the Pillar is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40 while he was preaching in what is now Spain. Those who adhere to this belief consider this appearance to be the only recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of bilocation. Among Catholics, it is also considered the first Marian apparition, and unique because it happened while Mary was still living on Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copacabana, Bolivia</span> City in La Paz Department, Bolivia

Copacabana is the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The town has a large 16th-century shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, dedicated to Our Lady of Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. The town is a tourism destination in Bolivia. It is also known for its trout and quaint atmosphere. Built between Mount Calvario and Mount Niño Calvario, the town has approximately 6,000 inhabitants. Copacabana's religious celebrations, cultural heritage and traditional festivals are well known throughout Bolivia. Boats leave for Isla del Sol, the sacred Inca island, from Copacabana. Copacabana is served by Copacabana Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candelaria, Tenerife</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Candelaria, also Villa Mariana de Candelaria, is a municipality and city in the eastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain. The city is located on the coast, 17 km southwest of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The population is 25,140 (2010), and the area is 49.18 km².

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary</span> Spiritual protection attributed to Mary

A patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a form of spiritual protection attributed to Mary, mother of Jesus, in favor of some occupations, activities, religious orders, congregations, dioceses, and geographic locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos</span>

Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Mexican and Texan faithful. The original image is a popular focus for pilgrims and is located in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, 122 kilometers (76 mi) northeast of the city of Guadalajara. The statue is venerated both in Mexico and in the United States where it is known by its proxy title Nuestra Señora de San Juan del Valle, mainly focused in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin of Candelaria</span> Marian apparition

The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candle (Tagalog: Mahal na Birhen ng Candelaria, popularly called La Morenita, celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. The center of worship is located in the city of Candelaria in Tenerife. She is depicted as a Black Madonna. The "Royal Basilica Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria" is considered the main church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Canary Islands and she is the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Her feast is celebrated on February 2 and August 15, the patronal feast of the Canary Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaro Cathedral</span> Roman Catholic church in Iloilo City, Philippines

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles and colloquially as Jaro Cathedral, is a cathedral located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was established in 1575 as a visita (chapel-of-ease) of Oton by the Augustinians and as a separate parish in 1587. The present-day structure of Jaro Cathedral was built in 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgen de Copacabana</span>

The Virgen de Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia. She is venerated in Bolivia during her feast day of 2 February, the day of the Purification of Mary, or feast of the Virgen de la Candelaria. She is also venerated on 5 August with her own liturgy and popular celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Luján</span> 16th-century statue of the Virgin Mary in Argentina

Our Lady of Luján is a celebrated 16th-century statue of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The image, also known as the Virgin of Luján, is on display in the Basilica of Luján in Argentina. The feast day of Our Lady of Luján is May 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Candelaria</span> Roman Catholic minor basilica in the Canary Islands

The Basilica of the Royal Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria is a Roman Catholic minor basilica, the first Marian shrine of the Canary Islands, located in the municipality and city of Candelaria on the island of Tenerife. It is located some 20 km (12 mi) south of the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Andacollo</span>

Our Lady of Andacollo, also known as the Virgin of Andacollo, is a celebrated Catholic statue of the Virgin Mary located in the town of Andacollo, in the Coquimbo Region in the north of Chile. The carving is the centre of the annual Fiesta Grande de la Virgen that draws thousands of pilgrims from around the world in December.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National shrine</span> Catholic designation of a sacred place

A national shrine is a Catholic church or other sacred place which has met certain requirements and is given this honor by the national episcopal conference to recognize the church's special cultural, historical, and religious significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Tito Yupanqui</span> Bolivian sculptor

Francisco Tito Yupanqui (1550–1616) was an indigenous sculptor of the Viceroyalty of Peru. He sculptured renowned Roman Catholic wood statues such as the Blessed Virgin Mary in what is now Bolivia, known as Our Lady of Candles, one of the most celebrated Marian images located at Lake Titicaca in Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Itatí</span>

Our Lady of Itatí, also known as the Virgin of Itatí, is a Roman Catholic title of the Virgin Mary, whose principal shrine is in the city of Itatí, Corrientes Province, Argentina. Her feast day is celebrated on July 9, with an anniversary celebration on July 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Coromoto</span> Church in San Genaro de Boconoíto, Venezuela

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Coromoto is a minor Basilica and National Shrine dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Coromoto, patroness of Venezuela is 25 kilometers from the city of Guanare, Portuguesa, Venezuela. Today its pastor is the priest Allender Hernández.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Jaro</span>

Nuestra Señora de la Purificación y la Candelaria is a venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary enshrined in Jaro Cathedral and the patroness of Western Visayas.

References

  1. "Virgen de la Candelaria - Copacabana, Bolivia". www.sacred-destinations.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  2. Salles-Reese, Verónica (1997). From Viracocha to the Virgin of Copacabana: Representation of the Sacred at lake Titicaca (1st ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN   0292777132.
  3. 1 2 Aradi, Zsolt (1954). Shrines to our Lady Around the World (1st ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Young. pp. 158–161.
  4. MacCormack, Sabine (1984). "From the Sun of the Incas to the Virgin of Copacabana" . Representations. 1984 (8): 30–60. doi:10.2307/2928557. JSTOR   2928557 via JSTOR.
  5. Albro, Robert (1998). "Neoliberal Ritualists of Urkupiña: Bedeviling Patrimonial Identity in a Bolivian Patronal Fiesta" . Ethnology. 37 (2, Special Issue: Relocating Bolivia: Popular Political Perspectives): 133–164. doi:10.2307/3774001. JSTOR   3774001 via JSTOR.
  6. MacCormack, Sabine (2010). "Human and Divine Love in a Pastoral Setting: The Histories of Copacabana on Lake Titicaca" . Representations. 112 (1): 54–86. doi:10.1525/rep.2010.112.1.54 via JSTOR.
  7. Pepe Barrascout (5 August 2015). "Nuestra Señora de Copacabana – Bolivia". Cathedral of Escuintla website (in Spanish).
  8. Yates, Donna. "The Virgin of Copacabana has been looted". anonymousswisscollector.com. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  9. Linarez, Iblin. "Los tesoros de la Virgen carecen de seguro antirrobo". la-razon.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-04-30.

16°10′00″S69°05′07″W / 16.16667°S 69.08528°W / -16.16667; -69.08528