Marian devotion
Our Lady of Agony
The great Romeria of the Minho · Viana do Castelo
Next to the Lima River, in Viana do Castelo, the shrine of Nossa Senhora da Agonia is the heart of one of Portugal's largest popular and religious parties, the Romeria de la Agonia, with its famous procession to the sea.
Origin and history
The cult was born in a chapel erected in 1674, dedicated to the Bom Jesus of Holy Sepulchre. At the beginning of the 18th century the chapel was redirected to Marian worship: in 1706 it was listed as Nossa Senhora da Soledade and in 1744 already under the title of Nossa Senhora da Agonia. The church-present sanctuary was blessed in 1759.
The devotion, linked to the people of the sea, intensified in the 18th century. In 1772 an annual pilgrimage of the sailors was born, and in 1783 the Holy See allowed the solemn mass of 20 August, which became a municipal holiday. Since then the Romeria de la Agonia has been consolidated as one of Portugal's great parties, with processions, regional suits and a famous river procession with gilded boats on the Lima River.
Is the advocation of the Virgin Mary of your people missing?
Si no encuentras la advocación mariana de tu ciudad o pueblo, cuéntanosla: la investigaremos para ubicarla y darla a conocer en este mapa del amor de la Madre por el mundo.
Propose an apvocation →