Our Lady of Charity

Patrona and Mayor Perpetua de Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cadiz) · crowned in 1965

In its basilica of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Our Lady of Coronado Charity - a perpetual patron and mayor - runs the city every 15 August in a silver plateau, on dyed salt carpets, between thousands of rods of nodes.

Origin and history

The image is a small size, replica of the Virgin of Charity of Illescas (Toledo), associated with the Malaysian merchant Pedro Ribera Sarmiento at the beginning of the 17th century; the most widespread legend is the "miracle of oil," when the lamp turned off and without oil before the image began to flow in abundance. In 1609 his co-fraternity was founded with the support of the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and on 2 September 1618 the municipal lobby proclaimed her patron of the city, patronage extended to all the House of Medina Sidonia.

The temple, from the beginning of the 17th century and the ducal foundation, was raised to the lower basilica in 1997. The image received the canonical coronation granted by Paul VI on March 28, 1965, held on August 15 of that year, and was proclaimed canonical patron by John Paul II in 2002. His feast of August 15 is famous: the Virgin walks through the city in a baroque plateau of silver with ebony columns, surrounded by nodes, passing on dyed salt carpets made by the cofradies and the neighbors.