Our Lady of Mercy, venerated in the Basilica of Mercy of Santiago

Marian devotion of Santiago (Metropolitan Region)

La advocación de Our Lady of the Merced was born historically linked to the Order of the Merced, founded by St Peter Nolasco in the 13th century in Barcelona, with the specific charism of the redemption of Christian captives. The liturgical memory of the Virgin of the Merced was fixed for the September 24the date that remains in the Roman calendar and in the particular calendars of many Latin American countries.

Main data

Origin and history

La advocación de Our Lady of the Merced was born historically linked to the Order of the Merced, founded by St Peter Nolasco in the 13th century in Barcelona, with the specific charism of the redemption of Christian captives. The liturgical memory of the Virgin of the Merced was fixed for the September 24the date that remains in the Roman calendar and in the particular calendars of many Latin American countries.

As for the temple of Santiago, the tourist and ecclesial sources point out that the Basílica de la Merced is located in the historic centre of Santiago de Chile, very close to the Saint Lucia hill, and it is one of the most representative churches of the city. Various news reviews indicate that the merchant presence in Santiago dates back to 16th century, with a convent and church raised by the Order of the Merced, although exact dates are not always required or clearly distinguished between successive buildings.

Documented history: – Está acreditado que el templo actual es conocido como Basílica de La Merced, pertenece a la Orden de la Merced y se sitúa en la calle Mac Iver, en pleno centro de Santiago. – La arquidiócesis y sitios de turismo señalan su valor histórico y artístico como “joya” del casco antiguo, pero sin detallar en las fuentes consultadas la cronología completa de sus reconstrucciones.

Tradition / legend: – En material divulgativo y redes sociales de difusión cultural se afirma que la fundación mercedaria en Santiago se remontaría al siglo XVI y que el templo habría sufrido varias reconstrucciones por terremotos, elementos frecuentes en la memoria local chilena, pero sin una documentación crítica exhaustiva en las fuentes aquí consultadas. En esta ficha, por rigor, esos datos se consideran tradición local mientras no se cuenten con referencias históricas más precisas.

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The image and the sanctuary

In the Basilica of the Merced of Santiago a ancient image of Our Lady of the Market, much appreciated by the faithful and linked to the colonial history of the city; however, in the accessible sources, the technical data of the sculpture (author, exact date, material, height) are not accurately recorded, so these elements should be considered "not recorded" at the documentary level. There is also no official iconographic description in the sources consulted.

According to traditional merchant iconography, Our Lady is often represented as Virgin of the Merced: with white habit and layer of the Order of the Merced, holding the Child Jesus and the merchant shield or chains, symbol of the liberation of the captives. It is reasonable to think that the venerated image in the Basilica of the Merced of Santiago is aligned with this general iconographic model, but the specific sources on the concrete size do not explicitly describe it, so any additional detail would be speculative and not included.

The temple is officially known as Basílica de La Merced and is recognized as minor basilicaaccording to the name in the presentation of the sanctuary itself in the tourist and pastoral resources consulted. It is located in Mac Iver 341, Santiagoin the historical center of the city, and belongs to the Archidiocesis of Santiago de Chile. The building is characterized by its main façade in the urban landscape, with bells visible from the vicinity of the Saint Lucia hill, and its traditional style interior, which houses altars, images and relics of the Order of the Merced.

It is not known, in the sources reviewed here, that the temple was declared "national sanctuary" by specific decree; it is usually designated as "La Merced Basilica Sanctuary" in the network of shrines of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, which indicates at least a recognition as a sanctuary in the diocesan area.

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Sponsorship and coronation

La advocación de Our Lady of the Merced has many patrons in Latin America, including several in Chile and Colombia, but these refer to specific cities and regions and are not always directly linked to the image of the Basilica of La Merced in Santiago. For Chile, the Virgin of the Merced figure as patron of the island of Maipo and from other localities, according to the list of patronings, but this information is associated with other merchant sanctuaries (for example, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Merced in the island of Maipo), not to the basilica of the center of Santiago. For the temple of Santiago de Chile no consta a patronazgo civil o eclesial específico (for example, "patron of the city of Santiago") in the sources consulted.

On the canonical coronationthe accessible sources (including general lists of coronations of the Virgin of the Merced in various countries) do not mention a specific canonical coronation of the venerated image in the Basilica of the Merced of Santiago de Chile. Therefore, and following the required criterion of rigour, it should be stated: does not contain a documented canonical coronation for this image in the sources consulted.

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Party and devotion

The litigation fiesta universal de Our Lady of the Merced se celebra el September 24, according to the Roman calendar and the tradition of the Order of the Market. However, the official record of the network of sanctuaries of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago explicitly indicates that the Feast of the Basilica Sanctuary La Merced se celebra el 28 October. This date appears as a feast of the sanctuary, with a program of masses and pastoral activities established for that day.

The sanctuary is located in the center of the city, which facilitates a constant influx of faithful both on working days and Sundays, with several daily and Sunday masses. Although the sources consulted do not provide exact figures for participation, it is indicated that Mass is held from Monday to Saturday and several masses on Sundays, a sign of a stable and numerous devotion. The location in the heart of the historical centre, the presence of the old image and the character of the minor basilica are a frequent place of personal prayer, visits of tourists and urban pilgrims.

No detailed descriptions of organized pilgrimages on a large scale or specific popular traditions (annual processions outside the temple, unique promises, etc.) exclusively linked to the Basilica of the Merced of Santiago. In the absence of verified data, these practices are considered "not recorded" for this data sheet. It should be noted, however, that in many places where the Virgin of the Merced is venerated, the processions around September 24 are common, but for the specific case of this temple no official references have been found to allow them to be described with precision.

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Link to the Rosary

There is no explicit mention of a the Rosary o a una practice of the Rosary specifically linked to this image of Our Lady of the Market. It should therefore be indicated that there is no documented particular relationship