Our Lady of the Assumption

Patrona de Guatemala

The City of Guatemala was put from its colonial origins under the patronage of the Assumption of Mary; its metropolitan cathedral, dedicated to this mystery, is the liturgical heart of the nation.

Origin and history

The devotion to the Assumption of Mary came to Guatemala with the Spanish evangelization, when this solemnity was already one of the oldest of the Marian calendar. From the early colonial centuries temples were erected under his title and the capital was placed under his patronage, with solemn celebration every 15 August.

The current metropolitan cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption, became the main liturgical center of this devotion. After independence, Marian patronage remained a sign of religious and cultural identity; every 15 August the feast conserves national and urban character, with solemn Eucharist and processions throughout the city.