Our Lady of the Puig (Mare de Déu del Puig de Santa Maria)

Marian title of El Puig de Santa María (Valencia Community)

According to the pious legend, the image was chiseled by angels in stone from the tomb of Mary and brought by them to the Puig, for which reason it was considered especially miraculous and protective. Another tradition relates this advocation to a joint Marian vision of St Raimundo de Peñafort, James I and St Peter Nolasco on the night of 1-2 August 1218, linked to the origin of the Order of the Merced. Both narrations are pious tradition, not historically verified.

Main data

Origin and history

According to the pious legend, the image was chiseled by angels in stone from the tomb of Mary and brought by them to the Puig, for which reason it was considered especially miraculous and protective. Another tradition relates this advocation to a joint Marian vision of St Raimundo de Peñafort, James I and St Peter Nolasco on the night of 1-2 August 1218, linked to the origin of the Order of the Merced. Both narrations are pious tradition, not historically verified.

In the documented terrain, the site of the Puig was the key stage of the Battle of the Puig (1237), decisive in the conquest of Valencia. After the victory, Jaime I ordered to erect a monastery in honor of Santa María de El Puig, entrusting his custody to the merchants (about 1237-1238). The king attributed the conquest to the intercession of this advocation and proclaimed it Patrona of the Kingdom of Valencia. The cover of the early church is the only preserved vestige; the present temple began around 1300 and was concluded in the mid-14th century. The monastery was the official residence of the kings of Valencia on their visits. The first image was lost in the 1588 fire and was replaced by the current one.

The image and the sanctuary

La imagen se venera en el Real Monasterio de Santa María de El Puig (Real Monasterio de los Padres Mercedarios del Puig de Santa María), en El Puig de Santa María (comarca de l’Horta Nord, provincia de Valencia). Fue el principal santuario mercedario de la Corona de Aragón y lugar de veneración real durante siglos.

Sponsorship and coronation

It was proclaimed Patrona of the Kingdom of Valencia by King James I after the conquest of Valencia (1237-1238). It was canonically crowned on October 9, 1954, in Valencia. She remains a historical patron of the Valencian Community, but in daily devotional practice she shares that role with the Virgin of the Unprotected.

Party and devotion

There is no universally fixed liturgical date. The devotion is symbolically linked to the 9 of October (entry of Jaime I in Valencia and Day of the Valencia Community). The central devotional feature is its strong link with the historical and political identity of the old Kingdom of Valencia, as Virgin of conquest, a patron proclaimed by King James I himself and guarded by the merchants as a symbol of the Order.

Link to the Rosary

The sources consulted do not show a specific or unique link between this devotion and the Rosary.