Our Lady of Monserrate of Hormigueros

Marian devotion of Hormigueros (Mayagüez)

La devoción a Our Lady of Monserrate of Hormigueros was born in the context of the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico and is linked to the figure of the hacienda Giraldo Gonzálezof probable Catalan origin, a devotee of the Virgin of Montserrat. The original hermitage was raised on a hill in the present town of Hormigueros towards the end of the 16th century, and subsequently derived from it the human settlement itself and municipality.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Monserrate of Hormigueros was born in the context of the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico and is linked to the figure of the hacienda Giraldo Gonzálezof probable Catalan origin, a devotee of the Virgin of Montserrat. The original hermitage was raised on a hill in the present town of Hormigueros towards the end of the 16th century, and subsequently derived from it the human settlement itself and municipality.

Tradition and legend. According to tradition, at the end of the 16th century, Giraldo González was miraculously saved from the embezzlement of a bull, after invoking the Virgin of the Monserrate. In thanksgiving, he would have ordered a small adobe hermitage to be built on the top of the hill, 1590. Another very widespread story shows that Giraldo's daughter was lost on the mountain for fifteen days and was fed and protected by "a Triguean woman" who treated her with maternal tenderness; it was understood that she was the Virgin of the Monserrate, which strengthened the miraculous fame of the place and attracted many pilgrims from all over the island. These narrations belong to the field of popular piety and cannot be documented with historical precision, although scholars reasonably place the facts between 1560 and 1640, most likely in the 1580-1600 decades.

Documented history. Beyond the legend, it is noted that at the end of the 17th century there was already in Hormigueros a hermitage dedicated to the Virgin of the Monserrate with more than a century of antiquity, which corroborates the origin in the last part of the 16th century. In 1720after a pastoral visit, the bishop of Puerto Rico Fray Fernando de Valdivia y Mendoza, OSA, officially granted the hermitage the title of Sanctuaryand thus recognized as Marian Sanctuary of pilgrimage at national level. The present structure of the temple was built between 1775 y 1776, with subsequent repairs and extensions in the 19th century. The parish was canonically erected in 1874, coinciding with the civil elevation from Hormigueros to municipality. Over more than four centuries, the sanctuary was consolidated as the most important and ancient Marian pilgrimage center in Puerto Ricowith great devotional irradiation all over the island.

The image and the sanctuary

In the sanctuary they veneration mainly two representations of the Virgin of the Monserrate:

– Un lie of the Virgin presides over the main altar. It's an oil painting on board, datable between 1590 and the first third of the 17th centuryattributed to the Puerto Rican painter Manuel García. It is considered one of the oldest preserved paintings on the island and has affinities with the iconography of the Virgin of Catalan Montserrat, although with its own features that have shaped a distinctive advocation of Hormigueros.

– Una round package size of the Virgin, made in wood between 1740 y 1770which is also preserved in the temple. It is dressed and adorned according to the different festivities of the liturgical calendar and the particular celebrations of the sanctuary. (Some sources of disclosure also indicate a Romanesque size in dark wood, but there is no documentary consensus on its dating or exact origin.)

The temple where the image is venerated is the Minor Basilica and National Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Monserrate, in the municipality of Hormigueros, Porta del Sol region, Puerto Rico. The current building, of rectangular floor with three ships y cúp a over the main chapel, was completed around 1775-1776. It has a octagonal bell tower of the 18th century and an altar designed by José Campeche, with paintings by the Virgin of the Monserrate, San José and San Antonio. The baptismal marble pile dates back to 1826.

The monumental ensemble also includes the historical Casa del Peregrinoin the back of the sanctuary, which served as a house for pilgrims and today is the residence of the parish priest. Both the sanctuary and the House of Pilgrimage are registered in the National Register of Historical Places from the United States since 1975. Because of its historical and devotional importance, John Paul II raised the temple to minor basilica el 19 May 1998.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of the Monserrate is Patrona oficial del municipio de Hormigueros (Puerto Rico). Devotion, however, transcends the local sphere and is considered one of the Puerto Rico's Most Relevant Marian Advocationsalong with the Virgin of Bethlehem. Since the 18th century, the bishops of Puerto Rico have recognized the sanctuary as National Sanctuarygiven the breadth of the pilgrimage and the root of devotion throughout the island.

As for coronation, a canonical coronation image: the 12 February 1995the Virgin of the Monserrate of Hormigueros was crowned canonically by the Cardinal Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico. This coronation officially recognized the antiquity, extension and spiritual fertility of devotion.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of the Monserrate of Hormigueros is celebrated the September 8, coinciding with the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. That day, and in the near days, thousands of faithful come to the sanctuary from all corners of Puerto Rico to venerate the Virgin, participate in the Eucharist, processions and penitential and Marian acts.

Throughout the year, the sanctuary receives an estimated influx of about 500,000 pilgrims and visitors per year, which makes it the main Marian pilgrimage center in Puerto Rico and one of the most significant within the territory of the United States. Since the 18th century there has been an uninterrupted tradition of pilgrimages, motivated by graces received and requests from favors, especially related to health, family and protection in danger. This tradition is reflected in the abundance of and small silver "miracles" that cover the walls of the temple, tangible witness of the gratitude of the faithful.

In addition to the September parties, various parishes and movements organize diocesan and regional pilgrimages in other times of the year, including Lent, with walks from the public square of Hormigueros to the sanctuary as a sign of penance and conversion. The devotion is also expressed in novies, promises, candles, flowers and in the resort to the Virgin as "Mother of miracles" of Hormigueros, a title very rooted in popular piety (even if it is not official liturgical title).

Link to the Rosary

The sources consulted do not indicate a specific practice or title which uniquely links this advocation to the prayer of Rosary (for example, as "Virgin of the Rosary of Monserrate" or similar). Therefore, no consta an exclusive link or a historical fellowship of the Rosary that defines the identity of this sanctuary.

However, as in most of the great Marian shrines, the Rosario is a regular part of devotional life of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Monserrate. The Rosary, either in procession, in the temple, in preparation for the Eucharist or in thanksgiving, is praying around the feast of September 8 and in many pilgrimages. This Marian prayer allows you to contemplate