Our Lady of Rio Blanco and Paypaya, patron of the province of Jujuy

Marian title of Rio Blanco (Jujuy)

Documented history. La devoción a la Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya it dates back to the colonial period, around the mid-17th century, linked to the indigenous people of Paypayas and the first settlements in the Jujño valley. The Marian tradition of the Rosary is rooted in the region in the context of the evangelization and indigenous doctrines of the area, where rural chapels are raised and the prayer of the Rosary is spread.

Main data

Origin and history

Documented history. La devoción a la Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya it dates back to the colonial period, around the mid-17th century, linked to the indigenous people of Paypayas and the first settlements in the Jujño valley. The Marian tradition of the Rosary is rooted in the region in the context of the evangelization and indigenous doctrines of the area, where rural chapels are raised and the prayer of the Rosary is spread.

In the 20th century devotion reaches a clearer official recognition: the Pope John XXIII declared the Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya patron of the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, capital of the province. The figure of this advocation is thus closely linked to the Catholic identity of the Jewish people and their religious and social life.

Tradition and legend. The popular piety has transmitted oral stories about the origin of the image, which link it in a special way to the indigenous peoples of Paypayas and to the protection of the region at difficult times in their history, including the stage of the struggles for independence; however, these stories belong to the realm of tradition and do not record as facts verifiable with historical accuracy in the current sources consulted. Pious versions of apparitions or miraculous findings of the image are also mentioned, but they lack formal historical documentation and are preserved as part of the devotional memory of the people.

The image and the sanctuary

The image. The advocation is venerated under the title Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya, so iconography is part of the Marian representations of the Rosary. The Virgin is traditionally presented with the Child Jesus and the rosary, a sign of her role as a Mother who invites the prayer and meditation of the mysteries of Christ's life. However, technical data on the material, author, exact date of realization and complete iconographic details of the sizeand therefore these data cannot be strictly stated.

The sanctuary. The main center of devotion is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypayalocated in the town of Rio Blanco, department of Palpalá, about 8 km from San Salvador de Jujuy and 1149 meters above sea level. The official site itself presents it as a “lugar de fe” to whom the Jewish people pilgrim to honor the Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya. It is not found in the consulted sources that the temple has been elevated to the dignity of the minor basilica or that it has a title of national sanctuary; it is a sanctuary of great relevance. diocesan and provincial, recognized by the local Church and deeply rooted in popular religiosity.

In the city of San Salvador de Jujuy there is also another image of the Virgin of Rio Blanco and Paypaya, venerated in an urban chapel, which manifests the extension of devotion beyond the original rural sanctuary.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patronage. The Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya is held by patron of the province of Jujuy, according to the religious tradition and the liturgical and civil life of the region. Various ecclesial and civil media explicitly call it "patron of Jujuy." In addition, in a specific way, the Pope John XXIII declared her patron of the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, consolidating its role as a spiritual reference of the provincial capital.

On a diocesan or national patronage, the sources consulted focus on the provincial level (Jujuy) and that of the capital city; there are no data that officially present it as a national patron of Argentina, nor on any more extensive ecclesial constituency than the above-mentioned province and city.

Coronation. Local tradition states that the image was crowned in 1917; however, in the accessible sources (official page of the sanctuary, diocese, historical synthesis and divulgative articles) does not contain explicitly, with verifiable documentation, a formal declaration of canonical coronation, nor the name of the pontiff who authorized it, nor of the pontifical delegate who made it. Accordingly, following the criterion of historical rigour requested:

> does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

This does not exclude the existence of local coronation ceremonies or solemn gestures of the diocesan church, but these acts are not presented in the sources consulted with the characteristics of a duly recorded pontifical canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The devotion to the Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya is celebrated throughout October, this is the period of most Marian expression in the province of Jujuy. Many pilgrimages leave from different parts of the province to reach the shrine of Rio Blanco, in a climate of prayer, songs and manifestations of popular piety.

The party is especially linked to the 7 October, liturgical memory of the Virgin of the Rosary, which is pointed out as central party of the advocation and day of the patron of Jujuy. During the Sunday of October, there are mass, processions and thematic pilgrimages (young people, families, the sick, workers, etc.), which bring together the miles de fieles of Jujuy and of provinces and neighbouring regions, even from areas near the border with Bolivia. The faithful come "to renew their promise of faith," an expression that the sanctuary recognizes as a living manifestation of the popular piety of Argentina's north.

Among the popular traditions are the night or early walk to the sanctuary, the community prayer of the Rosary in family or in parish groups before pilgrimage, the presence of pilgrim images in rural neighborhoods and communities, and the offering of intentions for the family, work and social peace. These expressions unite cultural elements of Jujuy (music, clothing, typical meals) with a deep Marian veneration.

Link to the Rosary

The relationship of this advocation with the Rosary is constitutive: its own title is "Virgin of the Rosary of Rio Blanco and Paypaya", which indicates that the spiritual identity of the sanctuary and the feast is focused on the prayer of the Rosary and the contemplation of the mysteries of Christ next to Mary. The October election - the month of the Rosary for the whole Church - reinforces this rosarian character of devotion.

In the pastoral practice of the sanctuary and the parishes of Jujuy, the Rosary is a regular prayer before the masses, during the pilgrimages and in the ninth preparatory ones, as a simple and profound way of asking for the intercession of the Virgin for personal and social needs. The Jewish people recognize in this advocation a Mother who accompanies in the ways of life, and the Rosary becomes a "chain of love" that unites the faithful with Christ through Mary, especially in contexts of sacrifice, poverty and the search for justice.

Where there is no specific data on own formulas or exclusive ways of praying the Rosary in Rio Blanco, it can be said, based on the Marian tradition of the Church, that the Rosary is the privileged expression of this devotion: a simple and deep school of faith, in which the