Our Lady of Mercy of Caracas, patron saint of Caracas

Marian devotion of Caracas (Capital District)

In Caracas, since the colonial period, the Our Lady of Mercy as Virgin Redeemer of captives and patron of the cityby decision of the Cabildo of the then Province of Venezuela in 1638. According to local chronicles, that year the Cabildo chose her as a special lawyer in the face of a grave plague that damaged the cocoa plantations, the main source of wealth in the region. Since then he has been linked to the civil and religious life of Caracas as "patron of the Marian city."

Main data

Origin and history

In Caracas, since the colonial period, the Our Lady of Mercy as Virgin Redeemer of captives and patron of the cityby decision of the Cabildo of the then Province of Venezuela in 1638. According to local chronicles, that year the Cabildo chose her as a special lawyer in the face of a grave plague that damaged the cocoa plantations, the main source of wealth in the region. Since then he has been linked to the civil and religious life of Caracas as "patron of the Marian city."

Históricamente, el first merchant convent of Caracas was erected with a license in 1638in a house located in what is today the parish San Juan, on the outskirts of the city of then. This establishment gave rise to the subsequent church of Nuestra Señora de La Merced (popularly "Las Mercedes"), which over the centuries has been several times damaged and rebuilt by earthquakes, forming part of the religious and urban fabric of the capital. In 1766 the Virgin of the Mercedes was also recognized as pattern against earthquakesin relation to a strong earthquake of that year that marked the Caraquean religious memory.

In the plan of the Pious traditionthe protection of Caracas from natural disasters and economic calamities, in particular the earthquakes and pests of cocoa, is attributed to the Virgin of the Mercedes. The original colonial image, very venerated by the people and known as “La Guaricha”, is remembered in devotional memory as "saving" in the earthquake of October 1766 and in other historical difficulties of the city. These considerations belong to the language of faith and popular religiosity, rather than to a strictly documentary chronistics.

> Important location note: in the sources consulted, the advocation of Our Lady of the Mercedes of Caracas is linked to Caracas, capital of Venezuela, not to an entity called Caracas, Department of Capital District, Colombia. It does not contain, in the ordinary documentation, a specific Colombian homonymous patronal advocation located in a city called Caracas.

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The image and the sanctuary

The tradition states that the original image de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes de Caracas was a imagen de vestir de época coloniale, popularly known as “La Guaricha”. This size, associated with the great devotional events of the city, no longer presides over the altar of the temple: it is indicated that it remains guarded by descendants of the family of Mercedes Toro de Jugo Ramirez. In the church, a larger image in eschayola, call "The Great", donated by President Victorino Márquez Bustillos; this is a traditional merchant representation of the Virgin, with the white habits of the Order of the Merced.

The main temple related to this devotion is the Church of Our Lady of Las Mercedes (also called Church of La Merced), an old merchant establishment in the historic centre of Caracas. Contemporary descriptions indicate that the building presents Neoclasic elements, the result of successive reconstructions following the earthquakes that have affected it over the centuries. The church is a religious and tourist point of reference, where the main worship is dedicated to the Virgin of Mercedes as a protector of prisoners and captives, in accordance with the charism of the Order of the Merced.

In the sources consulted not verifiable that this temple has been canonically erected as minor basilica nor having the official title of national or diocesan sanctuary; it is normally designated as parish church of Our Lady of the Mercedes. Nor has a documentary confirmation that the current headquarters officially bears the name of "The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Mercedes".

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Sponsorship and coronation

The advocation is historically recognized as patron of the city of Caracas. According to the chronicles, the Cabildo of the city - in the context of the cacao plague of 1638 - proclaimed it patrona de Caracas And special lawyer to that scourge. Subsequently, from 1766, was also venerated as pattern against earthquakes, which reinforced its role as a protector of the city in the face of the frequent earthquakes that have marked its history.

In the sources consulted it is mentioned that the Virgin of the Mercedes of Caracas was the object of canonical coronationbut no primary documentation or official ecclesial reference has been found to specify with certainty the date, the minutes or the pontifical decree of a canonical coronation carried out in 1954or the name of the Pontiff or delegate who executed it. Local sources and dissemination sources mention acts of special tribute, but without the clear legal elements that make it possible to affirm, with rigour, a documented canonical coronation in the technical sense of the term (i.e. by the Pontifical Decree or the Holy See, officially promulgated).

Therefore, considering the requested rule and the available information:

– Canon coronation: there is no documented canonical coronation.

If a specific pontifical decree or canonical act were to appear in another investigation, this statement could be qualified; however, with the data currently available, it is not possible to confirm it with the required certainty.

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Party and devotion

In accordance with the commercial calendar and the tradition extended in the Hispanic world, the main party of Our Lady of the Mercedes is celebrated the September 24. This date, collected by different parishes dedicated to the Virgin of the Mercedes and by the liturgical tradition, also governs devotion to the patron of Caracas, integrating the celebration of the city itself into the great universal merchant feast.

Around that date they are usually organized Solemn masses, preparatory nays and processionswhere the image is carried through the streets of the historic center, accompanied by faithful who come to ask for favors or to keep promises, especially in relation to the protection of the city and intercession by those deprived of their liberty, sick and families in difficulty. Local tradition highlights the people's confidence in the Virgin of Mercedes as against earthquakes and as a protector of economic activities, following the memory of their intervention in times of the plague of cocoa.

No precise statistical data of influx have been found, but the church of Las Mercedes is among the more known and frequented temples of Caracas. Testimonials of local travelers and chronicles insist that it is a place of continuous devotion, not only at their patron party, but throughout the year, with the presence of faithful who visit the image to thank favors and present petitions.

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Link to the Rosary

The sources consulted do not contain a specific practice or title which uniquely links to Our Lady of the Mercedes of Caracas with the prayer of Rosary (for example, rosarian copradies of this image, particular indulgences or denominations as "Virgen del Rosario de las Mercedes"). The devotion described above focuses mainly on its character as a Virgin of the Merced, redeemer of captives and patron against earthquakesmore than a particular rosarian trait.

However, in the general framework of the Marian spirituality of the Church, the Rosary It occupies a privileged place as contemplative prayer of the mysteries of Christ with Mary. In ordinary pastoral practice, it is common for the merchant communities and parishes dedicated to the Virgin of the Mercedes to promote the prayer of the Rosary as means of union with the Virgin and intercession for the needyespecially for those suffering from various forms of captivity (material or