Our Lady of the Assumption

Patron of the city of La Asunción · Margarita (Nueva Sparta)

In the cathedral of La Asunción, the historic capital of Margarita, we are to venerate Our Lady of the Asunción, the first Marian patron of the island, in one of the oldest temples in Venezuela.

Origin and history

The cathedral of La Asunción, a former parent church, is one of the oldest temples in Venezuela. As early as 1608, festivities were held in honor of the Virgin of the Assumption, and in 1612 she was declared patron of the city, the capital of the island. The devotion is also linked, in local memory, to the fact that Cristóbal Colón saw Margarita on August 15, 1498, the feast of the Assumption.

With the erection of the diocese of Margarita on 18 July 1969, the cathedral was under its title and its patronage on the islands Margarita, Coche and Cubagua was ratified. It is considered the first Marian patronal advocation of the island, different - without rivalry - from the Virgin of the Valley, patron of the Venezuelan East. His feast of August 15 is deeply rooted, with solemn mass and procession by La Asunción.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.