Our Lady (Shrine of the Virgin Mary)

Advocación mariana de Belize City (Distrito de Belize)
Popular devotion (not officially recognized by the Church)

On the Belize City waterfront, facing the sea and near St. Peter's Cemetery, an image of the Virgin Mary is venerated under the generic designation of "Our Lady." The statue was originally placed over a grave in St. Peter's Cemetery for about fifty years, before being moved decades later to a Marian shrine by the sea, promoted by the bishops of Belize as a Marian gathering place for the entire country.

Main data

Origin and history

On the Belize City waterfront, facing the sea and near St. Peter's Cemetery, an image of the Virgin Mary is venerated under the generic designation of "Our Lady." The statue was originally placed over a grave in St. Peter's Cemetery for about fifty years, before being moved decades later to a Marian shrine by the sea, promoted by the bishops of Belize as a Marian gathering place for the entire country.

The image and the sanctuary

The shrine is located on the coast, near the Baron Bliss lighthouse, in an area steeped in history for the city. The image does not bear a specific Marian title, but is simply referred to as "Virgin Mary / Our Lady."

Patronage and coronation

There is no record of formal patronage or canonical coronation. Nor is there an official decree declaring it a national shrine.

Celebration and devotion

There is no specific feast day recorded. The devotion is linked to the memory of the deceased buried in the cemetery and to protection against hurricanes, following the events of 1961.

Link with the Rosary

The faithful come to the sanctuary to pray before the Virgin, "mother who watches from the shore," entrusting the city and its deceased to her intercession, in a simple and popular Marian piety.