Our Lady of Copacabana de Guarenas, patron of Guarenas

Marian title of Guarenas (Miranda)

La devoción a Our Lady of Copacabana de Guaras is inserted in the expansion, in colonial times, of the famous Bolivian acvocation of Copacabana, originating in Alto Perú from the image sculpted by Francisco Tito Yupanqui in 1583 and then spread throughout Hispanic America. The city of Guarenas was founded 14 February 1621 as a people of indigenous reduction under the title of Our Lady of Copacabana. From the beginning, the life of the people was linked to this Marian advocation, which became the axis of local religious identity.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Copacabana de Guaras is inserted in the expansion, in colonial times, of the famous Bolivian acvocation of Copacabana, originating in Alto Perú from the image sculpted by Francisco Tito Yupanqui in 1583 and then spread throughout Hispanic America. The city of Guarenas was founded 14 February 1621 as a people of indigenous reduction under the title of Our Lady of Copacabana. From the beginning, the life of the people was linked to this Marian advocation, which became the axis of local religious identity.

According to the documented history, en 1626 A small wooden statue of the Virgin of Copacabana, carved in cedar and traditionally attributed to the surroundings of Alto Peru, was received for the church of the newly founded village. There is a record of the presence of this image in the Guarenas church at least from 1640. During the following centuries, the parish of Our Lady of Copacabana belonged to the Diocese of Los Teques until 1979, when the diocese of Guarenas was created; in 1997 the temple was raised to Cathedral of Our Lady of Copacabana by the decision of John Paul II, the new diocese being erected.

In the plan of the tradition and popular memoryThe image of Guarenas is attributed to the ancient replica of the Virgin of Copacabana of Bolivia, made in the late 16th century or early 17th century from the original size of Tito Yupanqui. The local piety has also transmitted numerous stories of favors and miracles, linked above all to the so-called "miraculous tapes" of the Virgin, whose distribution - according to the tradition - would have started more than a century ago on the initiative of the secular Luisa González and his family. These elements belong to the field of devotion, without being recorded as fully documented historical facts.

The image and the sanctuary

The image of Our Lady of Copacabana de Guaras es una small size in cedar wood, approximately 16 cm high, described as a "very small" statuette. Represents the Virgin de piewith hands crossed at the height of the chest, resting on a Copon que incorpora una medium moon horizontaland is surrounded by a gold limbo who highlights his splendor. It is an image of a strong mariano-Inca character in its devotional origin (because of its relationship with Copacabana of Bolivia), adapted to the Creole context of Guarenas.

The temple where it is venerated is the Sanctuary Cathedral of Our Lady of Copacabana, also known as Catedral de Guarenas. It is located next to Plaza Bolívar, on Ambrosio Plaza street in the city of Guarenas, Miranda state, Venezuela. The origin of the parish church dates back to 1621, being one of the oldest in the region; it was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1766 and deeply remodeled in the late 1950s, retaining the side walls of tapia although with a renewed architectural configuration. It is currently diocesan cathedral and sanctuarywith a high tower that constitutes a visual milestone of the urban environment, and it keeps various colonial images and liturgical vessels from the 18th century. It does not know that it has the title of minor basilica nor recognition as a national sanctuary; its canonical rank is of catedral-sanctuary diocesan.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Copacabana is patron of the city of Guarenaswhere his cathedral is described as "home of the patron of Guarenas." In addition, the diocese of Guarenas itself presents the Virgin of Copacabana as patron of the diocese, extending its patronage to the Guarenas, Guatire and Barlovento regions. It is not clear that he has a national patronage in Venezuela.

On a canonical coronationin the sources consulted (page of the cathedral, diocese, historical reviews and devotional press) does not contain a documented canonical coronation by decree of the Holy See or of the Venezuelan episcopate.

Party and devotion

In Guarenas, the most outstanding local holiday in honor of Our Lady of Copacabana se celebra el November 21the date on which the city carries out various activities of devotion and celebration around its patron. This feast is part of a very rich local religious calendar, where the cathedral is a reference point for other celebrations such as Easter, the May Cross or the festivities of San Juan and San Pedro de Guarenas.

The devotion to the Virgin of Copacabana de Guarenas is marked by a continuous veneration "for almost four centuries," with the image enthroned on the main altar of the cathedral. A characteristic feature of popular piety is the "cintas milagrasas"which the faithful receive as a sign of protection, especially in the face of diseases and situations of distress; this devotional practice, which has been established for more than a century, has been transmitted from generation to generation and is considered a symbol of Mary's maternal intercession. Although no influx figures are provided, the sources emphasize that the cathedral is a center of faith of great historical and spiritual importance for Guards and their surroundings.

With regard to the dates indicated in the consultation (2 February and 5 August), in the verified sources on Guarenas and its cathedral no constan as dates of the main feast of the Virgin of Copacabana de Guarenas, being the November 21 the employers' celebration explicitly indicated.

Link to the Rosary

In the documentation consulted on Our Lady of Copacabana de Guaras no consta a specific and explicit relationship between this advocation and a common, novena or particular practice of Rosary (e.g. official titles linked to the Rosary or parties of the Rosary related to this image). Devotion is mainly focused on the November 21 patron party and popular practices such as the use of "miraculous tapes."

However, as in every authentic Marian devotion in the Church, the Rosary It occupies a privileged place as a form of biblical and christocentric prayer that accompanies the veneration of the Virgin of Copacabana. Around this image, the Rosary allows us to contemplate, together with Mary, the mysteries of the life of Christ, in continuity with the tradition of Copacabana in Latin America, where the prayer of the Rosary has historically been one of the pillars of evangelization and the life of the communities. In the context of Guarenas, the Rosary can be understood as the prayer that sustains the daily faith of the devotees, prepares them for the patronal parties and encourages them to live, like the Virgin, in availability entrusted to the will of God.