Our Lady of Isinche, venerated in the Shrine of Isinche

Marian Advocation of Pujilí (Cotopaxi)

There are no reliable sources Marian advocation under the title of Our Lady of Isinche linked to the shrine of Isinche in Pujilí. What is well documented is devotion to Children of Isinche, a very venerated image of Christ Child in the estate of Isinche Grande, 3 km south of Pujilí, province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador, no Colombia.

Main data

Origin and history

There are no reliable sources Marian advocation under the title of Our Lady of Isinche linked to the shrine of Isinche in Pujilí. What is well documented is devotion to Children of Isinche, a very venerated image of Christ Child in the estate of Isinche Grande, 3 km south of Pujilí, province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador, no Colombia.

La documented history places the origin of this devotion around the year 1730The small image of the Child Jesus appeared in one of the flocks that came to the work of the Jesuits, which soon began to be the object of popular veneration for the miracles attributed to his intercession. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, devotion was consolidated between peasants and indigenous people in the Andean area, integrating expressions of Catholic faith with cultural elements of local communities, a phenomenon of religious syncretism widely studied by anthropology.

There are no diocesan, academic or Catholic press sources that speak of a Marian sanctuary formally called "Sanctuary of Our Lady of Isinche" or a specific tradition of an image of the Virgin with that title. The whole devotional and festive ensemble of Isinche revolves around Children of Isinche, recognized as one of the main patrons of the canton Pujilí. Therefore, the Marian title "Our Lady of Isinche" no consta as a documented historical advocation; if used in any area, it would at most be a very marginal and unverified popular denomination.

The image and the sanctuary

La central image de Isinche es el Children of Isinche, a colonial size of Christ Child. The sources describe the image as an ancient (18th century), small sculpture, dressed in rich dresses and ornaments that the faithful change and offer in a sign of gratitude and request. It is considered "portentous" and miraculous, with a fame of devotion that exceeds the local level, being known at the national level and even by pilgrims from abroad. It does not contain a Marian image of its own with the title "Our Lady of Isinche" as a center of worship.

The place of worship is known as Isinche Child Sanctuary, ubicado en la Hacienda Isinche Grande, about 3 km south of Pujilí, in the province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador. The tourist, ethnographic and academic sources agree to call it sanctuary, stressing its regional importance as a pilgrimage centre. It does not know that it has the title of minor basilicaor that it has been declared National sanctuary; it is in fact recognized as a local / diocesan sanctuary, without explicit mention of a canonical decree in the sources consulted. Architectural, it is described as an Andean-colonial simple-style temple, reformed and expanded over time to host the growing influx of pilgrims.

Inside the sanctuary abound and thank-you plates, testimony of the confidence in the intercession of the Child: we are grateful for cures, work, entry into the Police or the Army, among many others.

Sponsorship and coronation

El Children of Isinche is popularly recognized as one of the Patronos del Canton Pujilífor the intensity and antiquity of devotion. It is not known that there is, on the other hand, an official patronage of a Marian advocation under the title "Our Lady of Isinche" over the city, canton or diocese.

With regard to canonical coronationthe sources consulted (research, pastoral material, religious tourism and local press) do not mention any decree of canonical coronation neither for the Child of Isinche nor for a Marian image linked to Isinche.

Therefore, according to the available data: Canon coronation: there is no documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The main feast of the sanctuary is that of Children of Isinche, which develops in a long festive cycle. Some materials describe that celebrations extend approximately 8 December to 6 January, integrating the time of the Immaculate and Christmas to the Epiphany. Other sources indicate that the 25 December the most outstanding celebration in honor of the Child. These celebrations include masses, processions, traditional dances, songs and peasant offerings, in a context of strong religious and cultural syncretism.

Devotion is characterized by a great peasant pilgrimagewith a significant presence of indigenous communities in the Andean region of Cotopaxi. People go to the sanctuary on foot, in family or in organized groups, to thank favors or to ask for health, work, protection for children and help in difficult situations. A specific study on the feast of the Child of Isinche highlights that it is a "complex phenomenon of popular religiosity and syncretism," in which the Catholic liturgy, personal promises, music and traditional dance, as well as ritual practices inherited from local indigenous cultures, converge.

The chronicles and testimonies speak of many miracles attributed to the Child, including physical healing - such as the healing of a breast cancer reported by the health care provider - and favors related to work and economic stability. The multitude of devotees in the temple and the presence of traditional singers, such as the "singers of Isinche," are visible signs of the depth of this devotion.

Link to the Rosary

It does not contain a specific and documented relationship between the devotion of Isinche and a Marian advocation entitled "Our Lady of Isinche," nor a particular practice of Rosary which gives rise to a distinctive Marian title. Devotion is explicitly focused on the image of Child Jesus.

However, in the Catholic tradition, every devotion to Christ the Child is naturally reflected in the mystery of the Incarnationlived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The prayer of Holy Rosaryespecially in the joyful mysteries (Annunciation, Visitation, Birth of Jesus, Presentation in the Temple, lost and found Jesus), offers a privileged framework for contemplating the Child Christ with his Mother. In this sense, although there is no Marian advocation of Isinche or a unique documented rosarian practice, the Rosary spiritually accompanies pilgrims who approach the Child of Isinche, helping to contemplate, with Mary, the childhood of Jesus and to live in greater depth the Christmas parties that mark the heart of this devotion.