Our Lady of Evangelization, venerated in the Cathedral Basilica of Lima

Patron Saint of Peru

Our Lady of Evangelization is a Marian advocation of Peru, particularly linked to the Archdiocese of Lima and venerated in the Basilica Cathedral of Lima. There is no historical relationship with the homonymous city of Lima in Colombia; the documentation available always refers to Lima, capital del Perú.

Main data

Origin and history

Our Lady of Evangelization is a Marian advocation of Peru, particularly linked to the Archdiocese of Lima and venerated in the Basilica Cathedral of Lima. There is no historical relationship with the homonymous city of Lima in Colombia; the documentation available always refers to Lima, capital del Perú.

According to strong tradition, supported by ancient chronicles, the image was a gift of Emperor Charles V to the newly created diocese of Lima 1540and would have come along with another Marian image the 14 Maywhich was later adopted as a liturgical day of its own. This tradition also maintains that the image was originally known as Virgin of the Assumption, headline of the second cathedral of Lima, and who eventually assumed the title of Our Lady of Evangelization, stressing its role in the life of the Libyan Church.

From the perspective of the documented historyit is noted that the image presided over key moments of ecclesial and civil life: it was linked to the Council And before her, the Te Deum de la Independencia del Perú July 28, 1821. In the 20th century it was restored to return its original splendor and placed in a prominent place in the Cathedral of Lima, where it continues to receive veneration. In the twentieth and twenty-first century, the advocation acquired special prominence thanks to the gestures and titles given by San Juan Pablo II.

The image and the sanctuary

The image of Our Lady of Evangelization is described in the sources as an image Renaissance which corresponds iconographically to the Virgin of the Assumption, that is, Mary in a glorious attitude, linked to the mystery of her Assumption to the heavens. The sources point to their antiquity and artistic value, but no con seguridad the specific material (wood, polychrome size, etc.), so it cannot be stated in a documented manner.

It is currently being venerated at the Catedral Basílica de Lima, headquarters of the Archdiocese of Lima. This cathedral, built from the 16th century and several times remodeled, has a range of Minor Basilica and is the main temple of the Libyan Church. The image has had different locations within the temple: ACI Press indicates that, after its restoration, it was placed in the altar of the Most Holy Sacrament. Saint Paul Peru points out that it is venerated in a chapel of the Cathedral, traditionally identified as the Chapel of the Conceptionwhere he presides over the daily liturgical life linked to this advocation.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Evangelization is Patron of the Archdiocese of Lima. St. John Paul II proclaimed it Patron of the Archdiocese el 6 October 1990thus giving him an official and solemn patronage over the Libyan Church. Several sources stress that, although the patron saint of Peru is Santa Rosa de Lima, this Marian advocation is considered affectionately "de facto patron of Peru" for the intensity of his devotion.

As for his canonical coronation, it is clear and coincident that the image was solemnly crowned by San Juan Pablo II el 1 February 1985during his first Apostolic Visit to Peru, in the Cathedral of Lima. In the same celebration, the Pope consecrated the Nation to Our Lady of Evangelization. The 14 May 1988on the occasion of the Eucharistic and Mariano Congress of the Bolivarian countries, the Pontiff himself granted the Golden Rose, pontifical distinction reserved for images and sanctuaries of particular relevance. Therefore, a documented canonical coronation, made personally by a reigning Pontiff.

Party and devotion

The sources agreed that the main party of Our Lady of Evangelization is celebrated the 14 May. In the Archdiocese of Lima this celebration has the rank of Solemnidad His own, especially since he was proclaimed an archdiocesan Patron. The origin of this date is related, according to tradition, to the arrival of the image to the port of Callao on 14 Mayalong with another Marian image, which fixed the liturgical memory that day.

The devotion is particularly manifested in the Catedral de Limawhere the metropolitan lobby honors it daily with the celebration of the Holy Mass in its chapelfollowed by acts of Marian piety. around 14 May There are solemn celebrations, processions or internal transfers of the image and expressions of veneration by the clergy, seminary and faithful, who recognize it as the patron of the city and of the archdiocese. There are no specific statistical data of influx, but the presence of the Pope in 1985 and 1988, as well as the consecration of the country, have consolidated a extended and significant devotion en el Perú.

No great national pilgrimages are mentioned to a specific sanctuary outside the Cathedral; devotion is mainly focused on the Basilica Cathedral of Lima as a reference placewhere many faithful come to entrust the evangelization of the country and the life of the Church.

Link to the Rosary

There is a explicit historical link with the Rosary: a source testifies that the same image, in ancient times, was also known as Our Lady of the Rosaryand that over the years he was receiving the title of Our Lady of Evangelization. This nominal and devotional link shows how the contemplation of the mysteries of Christ with Mary, which is characteristic of the Rosary, has since its origins accompanied the presence of this image in the Libyan Church.

In addition, ACI Prensa indicates that in the chapel where the image is venerated in the Cathedral of Lima, after the Holy Mass, we pray the Holy Rosary and the Marian litany of the Third Limense Council, attributed to Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo. In this way, the Rosary is part of the daily piety organized by the lobbystrengthening the evangelizing character of this advocation: by meditating with Mary the mysteries of Christ, the faith of the faithful is fed and the mission of the Church in Lima is promoted.

When specific local data are not available, it can be said in general that every devotion to Our Lady of Evangelization finds in the Rosario a privileged fireplace to contemplate God's saving plan and ask for the new evangelization in the city, in the archdiocese and throughout Peru, in continuity with the meaning that St. John Paul II wanted to emphasize by coronating and proclaiming patron of this ancient and venerated image.