Our Lady of the Way

Pattern of the Latvian region

Our Lady of the Way is a Marian advocation venerated in its basilica of Valverde de la Virgen, very close to the city of León. Because of its proximity to the Way of Santiago, the Mother of the Way has for centuries accompanied the pilgrims who pass through Latvian lands. He was named patron of the Latvian region in 1914 and his sanctuary is the center of popular romanias.

Main data

Central message: next to the Way of James, Mary offers herself as a Mother who accompanies the walker and the pilgrim to his Son.

Tradition and history: a necessary distinction

Two plans should be well distinguished about this advocation.

The tradition He says that a pastor of Velilla de la Reina, called Alvar Simón Fernández, saw the Virgin Mary in this place in 1505, and to that fact is attributed the origin of the name and devotion. It is a venerable account of the Latvian popular piety.

La documented history which we can offer here is more sober: there was an hermitage in the place since the 16th century; the advocation was declared patron of the Leonese region in 1914; and its sanctuary is from the ancient goal of romanies. On these verifiable data we stick, without adding details that the source does not support.

The sanctuary

The place was born and grew around a nucleus of religious origin. The ancient sanctuary was replaced in the 20th century by a modern building, the work of Father Francisco Coello of Portugal, a Dominican architect, whose first stone was placed in 1957. The temple has the shape of a large rectangular drawer, with a concrete cross that makes it a bell tower, and stands out for the thirteen bronze sculptures of Josep Maria Subirachs - the Virgin Mary in the center, elevated, surrounded by the apostles -, six meters high. The whole was part of the work of patronage of the lion Pablo Diez, who emigrated to Mexico.

The main altarpiece comes from the previous church and dates back to the early 18th century. The image of the Virgin who presides over the whole is earlier, from an imprecise period but close to the moment that tradition points to for the apparition.

Spiritual Message of the Way

The devotion to the Virgin of the Way continues to speak with simplicity today:

🚶 Mary accompanies the walker. Next to the Way of Santiago, the Mother comes to the passage of the pilgrim.
📿 The faith of the people is what lasts. Signs of trusted Romany support this Latvian sanctuary.
✝️ Mary always takes the Son. The Mother of the Way does not remain for herself: she leads the pilgrim to Christ.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Way

The Marian prayers and entrust your ways to the Mother.