Our Lady of Guadalupe of Extremadura

"Queen of Hispanity" · Cáceres (Spain)

In the hunting saw, the Royal Monastery of Guadalupe custody the "morenita" Extremadura, patron of Extremadura and queen of Hispanity, to which kings, sailors and missionaries were entrusted on the way to America.

Origin and history

The tradition shows that a "brunette" Romanesque image of the Virgin with the Child, hidden during the Muslim invasion, was found in the 13th century by Pastor Gil Cordero on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Around the finding, a sanctuary grew that since the 14th century, governed by the hieronyms, became one of the great spiritual centers of the Hispanic monarchy.

Kings, nobles and expeditionaries went to Guadalupe before taking their trips, especially to America; hence their title as "Queen of Hispanity." The image was canonically crowned in 1928, and was venerated by John Paul II on his 1982 visit, stressing his role in evangelization and in the brotherhood of the Spanish-speaking peoples. Do not confuse with the Mexican Guadalupe, a different advocation.