Our Lady of Iceland, I remember the intense Marian devotion of medieval Iceland before the Reformation, when countless churches

Marian vocation of Reikiavik (Iceland)

En la Islandia medievalthe devotion to the Virgin Mary was intense and widespread, as shown by the numerous churches dedicated to St. Mary (Maríukirkja) and the prominent place that the Mother of God occupied in the liturgical life and in the piety of the monasteries and cathedrals schools of Skalholt y Hólar (both then Catholic episcopal sites). This reality is documented in the historical studies on the Christianization of Iceland and in the medieval ecclesiastical toponym, which contains several temples consecrated to Mary on the island. Although the details of specific Marian images or shrines have not always come with precision, it is clear that Mary was invoked with particular fervor before the Protestant Reformation.

Main data

Origin and history

En la Islandia medievalthe devotion to the Virgin Mary was intense and widespread, as shown by the numerous churches dedicated to St. Mary (Maríukirkja) and the prominent place that the Mother of God occupied in the liturgical life and in the piety of the monasteries and cathedrals schools of Skalholt y Hólar (both then Catholic episcopal sites). This reality is documented in the historical studies on the Christianization of Iceland and in the medieval ecclesiastical toponym, which contains several temples consecrated to Mary on the island. Although the details of specific Marian images or shrines have not always come with precision, it is clear that Mary was invoked with particular fervor before the Protestant Reformation.

Con la Lutheran reform In the 16th century, the Catholic hierarchy disappeared and most of the ancient Marian churches went into Lutheran veneration, many traditional expressions of Marian piety being lost or transformed. However, the memory of that ancient Marian veneration was associated, in Catholic key, with the figure of "Our Lady of Iceland", understood as a spiritual memory of the island entrusted to Mary.

La restoration of the Catholic Church in Iceland took stable form in the XX-XX centuries, until the creation of the diócesis de Reikavikwhose cathedral is the Catedral de Cristo Rey (Basilíka Krists konungs), located in the district of Landakotin the western part of the capital. Although the temple is formally dedicated to Christ the King and to Saint Torlak, patron of the country, the pastoral and devotional life of the small but growing Icelandic Catholic people includes a renewed presence of Marian piety, of which this advocation of "Our Lady of Iceland" is symbolic and spiritual expression. It is not, however, clear that there is a pontifical decree or an official title "Our Lady of Iceland" as a liturgical advocation of its own with particular celebration in the diocesan calendar.

The image and the sanctuary

The existence of one official image canonically recognized with the specific title "Our Lady of Iceland," nor a national Marian sanctuary under this name. In practice, the Marian Catholic devotion in Iceland is expressed in various images of the Virgin (Immaculate, Virgin with the Child, etc.) present in parishes and communities, without any of them being formally designated as the main image of this advocation.

The natural centre of reference for this devotion, in Catholic key, is the Cathedral of Christ King of Reikiavik, also known as Basilica of Christ Rey o iglesia de Landakot (Landakotskirkja). It is the Catholic cathedral of all of Iceland and the seat of the Bishop of Reikiavik. The building, of style neogótico, has a Latin cross plant with transept and apse, and has a single cubic-shaped tower on the main facade, without the typical point needle of the Gothic. It was elevated to minor basilica in 1999 by John Paul II. Within this temple, as in the other churches of the diocese, images of the Virgin are venerated, but no one has any particular recognition as a "national" image of Our Lady of Iceland.

Sponsorship and coronation

In the legislation and ecclesiastical documentation that can be consulted, no consta un Official patronage attributed to "Our Lady of Iceland" as the principal patron of the nation or of the diocese of Reikiavik. The patrono de Islandia recognized liturgical is san Torlak (Þorlákur)whose name appears next to Christ the King in the dedication of the cathedral. In the field of piety, some faithful may refer to Mary as a mother and protector of the island, but there is no formal proclamation that makes this advocation a different canonical patronage.

As for a canonical coronation of an image under the title "Our Lady of Iceland," does not contain a documented canonical coronation. There are no references to the decree of the Holy See or to the coronation ceremony with that title in the available information of the diocese or in Marian repertories of usual use.

Party and devotion

No consta una litigation fiesta propia of "Our Lady of Iceland" set in the diocesan calendar of Reikiavik. Instead, Marian devotion is articulated on the great Marian celebrations of the universal calendar (Immaculate Conception, Assumption, Nativity of Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, etc.) and, to some extent, on the historical memory of ancient Catholic Iceland.

The devotional practice around Mary is especially experienced in the parishes and Catholic communities scattered on the islandwith particular emphasis in the cathedral of Christ the King in Landakotwhere the main solemnities and, in a special way, the Marian parties of the general calendar are held. Since Catholicism is a minority in the country, mass pilgrimages are less frequent than in other European shrines, and there are no significant numbers of inflow associated with a national Marian sanctuary. However, the presence of immigrant faithful, especially of Hispanic, Polish and Filipino tradition, has revitalized popular expressions of Marian devotion, with processions, community prayers and celebrations in different languages, although without a specific cult institutionalized to "Our Lady of Iceland."

Link to the Rosary

No consta una specific historical link between the advocation of "Our Lady of Iceland" and a sanctuary, fellowship or tradition of prayer of the Rosary similar to other great Marian centers. The available documentation does not include references to a particular feast of the Rosary of Iceland or to an image officially recognized as "Virgin of the Rosary" with national scope.

However, the Rosary It plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Icelandic Catholics, both in the Cathedral of Christ the King and in the parish communities, especially among the faithful from countries of strong Marian tradition. In this sense, the Rosary naturally accompanies devotion to Our Lady of Iceland as a spiritual memory of the ancient Marian faith of the island and as a support of the faith of a small Catholic flock on the mostly Lutheran land: by meditating on the mysteries of Christ with Mary, the Icelandic Catholic community joins the universal Church and keeps alive confidence in the mother's protection of the Virgin over the land of ice and fire.