Our Lady of Altagracia, protector of the Dominican people, venerated in the Cathedral Basilica of Higüey

Marian devotion of Higüey (La Altagracia)

La advocación de Our Lady of the Highness is inextricably linked to the history and religious identity of the Dominican Republicwhere she is venerated as of the Dominican people and patron of the province of La Altagracia.

Main data

Origin and history

La advocación de Our Lady of the Highness is inextricably linked to the history and religious identity of the Dominican Republicwhere she is venerated as of the Dominican people and patron of the province of La Altagracia.

Tradition / legend: According to the Dominican tradition, the image would have arrived from Spain at the beginning of the 16th century, carried by a family or by the so-called "Trejo brothers," which would have been enthroned in the village of Salvaleon of Higüey, in the eastern part of the island. There are also legends about a girl who wanted a picture of the Virgin "of the Altagracia" and the mysterious apparition of the canvas, stories transmitted orally that express the love of the people, but cannot be documented with historical precision.

Documented history: Historically, the cult of Our Lady of the Altagracia appears already rooted in the colonial era in Higüey, eventually becoming one of the oldest and most significant Marian devotions in the Caribbean. In the 20th century, its importance is confirmed by ecclesial and civil acts: Papa Pío XI officially proclaimed it Protector of the Dominican Republic en 1922, y el Dominican Congress declared his party as national holiday el 21 January in 1924. In 1971, the current base-sanctuary in Higüey was opened, consolidating the place as the country's main Marian pilgrimage centre.

The existence of an official sanctuary of Our Lady of the Altagracia in Higüey (department of La Altagracia, Colombia); the available data refer to the Higüey shrine at the Dominican Republic.

The image and the sanctuary

The original image of Our Lady of Highness is a Spanish-Flamenco Marian canvas of probable 16th century, of Renaissance style, considered a Spanish-Flemish school work. It represents the Virgin Mary in an attitude of contemplation of the Child Jesus, in a context that recalls the mystery of the Nativity; the scene is located under a starry sky and contains symbolic details of the religious art of the time. It is a painting on fabric (not a size), of relatively small dimensions, which is preserved with great veneration.

The main sanctuary is the Basilica- Cathedral Our Lady of the Highness, en Higüey, La Altagracia province, Dominican Republicwhich is at the same time minor basilica y catedral of the diocese. The present basilica was built between 1954 and 1971 and was inaugurated the 21 January 1971; this is an imposing modern structure, visible from a long distance, becoming the most important Marian sanctuary in the country. It is the place where the original canvas is kept and venerated, and where the great national pilgrimages converge.

The existence of an officially recognized temple as a national sanctuary of the Our Lady of the Highness in Higüey, department of La Altagracia, Colombia; the verified data correspond to the Dominican sanctuary.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patronage: Our Lady of the Highness is recognized as of the Dominican people y Patrona of the province of La Altagracia. Its devotional influence extends to many communities within and outside the country, but the main patronage is national and provincial in the Dominican Republic. There is no specific canonical patronage on a municipality or diocese in Colombia with this advocation, in the sources consulted.

Canonical coronations: The image has been crowned twice en el siglo XX:

– First canonical coronation: el 15 August 1922at the Gate of the Count (Santo Domingo), during the pontificate of Pío XI, reconocida como coronación canónica solemne. – Second coronation: el 12 October 1992, when Pope Juan Pablo II personally crowned the image with a overdorado plata diademaduring his second visit to the country.

In 2022, on the occasion of the centenary of the coronation, the Pope Francis sent a Golden Rose as a sign of special esteem for this advocation and for the Dominican people.

For a possible shrine of Our Lady of the Altagracia in Higüey (department of La Altagracia, Colombia), does not contain a documented canonical coronation nor an official patronage in the verified sources.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of the Highness is celebrated the 21 January. En la Dominican Republic es non-working day and national holiday, thus decreed by Congress in 1924, and ratified liturgically by a short Apostolic of Pius XI in 1927. The date was historically linked to the Batalla de Sabana Real (1691)whose victory was attributed to the intercession of the Virgin.

Every January 21, miles de fieles peregrinan a la Basilica- Cathedral Our Lady of the Highness in Higüey to honor the one they consider their spiritual and protective mother. This day is characterized by long rows of pilgrims, continuous Eucharistic celebrations, processions, prayers of the Rosary and other expressions of popular piety, making the sanctuary the main center of Marian pilgrimage in the country.

The devotion to Our Lady of Highness transcends the Dominican borders and remains alive in the diasporaespecially in Dominican communities in cities like New York, where their party marks the beginning of the Month of the Dominican Heritage. There are no specific data on pilgrimages organized to a sanctuary of this advocation in Higüey (department of La Altagracia, Colombia) in the sources consulted.

Link to the Rosary

The available sources on Our Lady of the Highness focus on the history of the canvas, the Higüey sanctuary and its national importance, but does not contain a specific and documented association with a fellowship or practice of the Rosary itself and exclusive of this advocation.

However, as in most great Marian shrines, the Rosary is an essential part of the daily mercy and great pilgrimagesHe prays around the canvas, accompanies the vigil of the eve of the feast and the long waiting of the pilgrims, and serves as a school of contemplation of the mysteries of Christ's life next to Mary.

The iconography of the Altagracia, focused on the mystery of the Birth of the Lordis particularly harmonized with the joyful mysteries The Rosary. In the contemplation of the Child and Mother, devotion to the Altagracia invites us to meditate, with the Rosary in hand, on the incarnation and closeness of God to the simple people. Thus, even if there is no specific legal or historical link, the Rosary in fact accompanies devotional life around Our Lady of the Highness and helps the faithful to live their maternal protection in the daily faith.