Our Lady of the Nativity of Balbanera

Marian Invocation of Colta (Chimborazo)

Documented history. The temple of Balbanera, officially Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary Nativity of Balbanera, is recognized as the oldest Catholic temple in today's Ecuador. The 15 August 1534 by Sebastian de Benalcázar, in the context of the foundation of the villa of Santiago de Quito by the Spanish conquerors. It is located next to the Colta lagoon, in the Sicalpa parish, Canton Colta, Chimborazo province. The church was built in honor of the Virgin of Valvanera (La Rioja, Spain), from whose advocation takes the name, and over time the local advocation of Maria Natividad de Balbanera.

Main data

Origin and history

Documented history. The temple of Balbanera, officially Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary Nativity of Balbanera, is recognized as the oldest Catholic temple in today's Ecuador. The 15 August 1534 by Sebastian de Benalcázar, in the context of the foundation of the villa of Santiago de Quito by the Spanish conquerors. It is located next to the Colta lagoon, in the Sicalpa parish, Canton Colta, Chimborazo province. The church was built in honor of the Virgin of Valvanera (La Rioja, Spain), from whose advocation takes the name, and over time the local advocation of Maria Natividad de Balbanera.

The temple is one of the first examples of colonial architecture in South America and is recognized as the first Catholic Church in Ecuador. He survived the great earthquake of 1797, which devastated the area; despite the damage, the church stands and remains open to veneration. The official site of the sanctuary confirms that it was founded on 1534 y dedicada a la Holy Virgin Mary Nativity of Balbanera.

Tradition and local memory. In popular devotion the image of the Virgin of Balbanera has been consolidated as traditional patron of Colta, protector of the region and companion of the indigenous and mestizo people at the time of the test, including the earthquakes and agricultural calamities; this dimension is based on the oral memory and the continuity of the cult since the 16th century, although not always reflected in formal documents. Several local reviews highlight the ancient arraigo of Marian devotion in Balbanera, clearly distinguishing it from the Riojana advocation of Valvanera in Spain.

The image and the sanctuary

The image. The sources consulted do not provide a detailed technical description (author, exact dating, material) of the original image of Our Lady of the Nativity of Balbanera. The type of size (wood, polychrome, etc.) and a specific iconography beyond its Marian character under the mystery of the Nativity of Mary. There is also no official iconographic record in accessible sources. It is remembered that the initial dedication went to the Virgin of Valvanera, advocation traditionally represented as Mary with the Child in a monastic environment, but the precise information about the concrete image venerated in Balbanera does not contain.

The sanctuary / temple. The temple is known as Iglesia de la Balbanera o Church Mary Nativity of Balbanera. It's a building of arquitectura colonial temprana, simple and modest structure, as was typical of the foundational era. The facade has multiple stone sizes that express the syncretism between Spanish and local indigenous culture; it is therefore described as an example of baroque mestizo. It is built with blocks of calcareous stone and clay and is located next to the South American Panagonal, diagonal to the Colta lagoon.

The church is open every day from 08: 00 to 18: 00and Sunday masses are held at noon, as well as baptizes, marriages and other sacraments. The very site of the sanctuary highlights that in Balbanera the Eucharist and a Holy Eucharist for life every 25 months. It is not known that the temple has received the title of minor basilica nor formal recognition as National sanctuary; it is designated as sanctuary of the Virgin Mary Nativity of Balbanera at the local and diocesan level.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patronage. Tradition recognizes Our Lady of the Nativity of Balbanera as traditional patron of the canton Colta and the area of the Colta lagoon, although this mention is mainly found in local and devotional sources; the sources consulted do not contain an explicit canonical decree of patronage at the diocesan or national level. It is not known that he is an official patron of the Ecuadorian nation or Chimborazo province in recent public documents.

Canon coronation. In the sources consulted (site of the sanctuary, historical reviews, tourist and Marian pages) does not contain a documented canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Nativity of Balbanera, neither by pontifical decree nor by specific episcopal delegation.

Therefore, according to the information available: does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

La main party of the advocation is celebrated the September 8, memoria litúrgica de la Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The sanctuary expressly indicates that "September 8 is the feast of the Nativity of Mary," the day the Marian celebration is concentrated. Around this date, popular devotion is manifested in solemn masses, processions and mass participation of faithful coming from the canton Colta, the province of Chimborazo and other regions of the country; however, there are no official figures of influx in the sources consulted.

During the year, the church maintains an intense sacramental life: celebration of baptisms, confessions, marriages and the anointing of the sickaccording to the sanctuary itself. A strong one is also highlighted indigenous pastoral, covering 30 indigenous communities, which shows the inculturated and community dimension of devotion. The church has also become an important pilgrimage destination and religious and cultural tourism, because of its character as the first church of Ecuador and its emblematic location next to the Colta lagoon.

Link to the Rosary

The sources available on the Virgin of Balbanera / Nativity of Balbanera do not explicitly mention a the Rosaryneither a unique practice of the Rosary proper to this advocation, nor specific indulgences linked to the prayer of the Rosary in this sanctuary. Therefore, there is no specific and documented relationship between this advocation and the Rosary.

However, as in most Marian shrines in Latin America, the Rosary form part ordinary from popular Marian piety: the mysteries of the Rosary allow us to contemplate the role of Mary in the history of salvation, including her Nativitywhich is celebrated precisely on 8 September, the titular day of the Virgin of Balbanera. In meditating on the joyful mysteries, the believing people deepen the motherhood of Mary and her presence at the beginning of the life of Jesus, which naturally harmonizes with the spirituality of this sanctuary, dedicated to Mary under the mystery of her birth.

In this context, the Rosary can be understood as a Marian contemplation school that accompanies the devotion to Our Lady of the Nativity of Balbanera, even if there is no unique rosarian tradition documented for this place.