Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

"The Virgin to whom the king gave his crown"

Vila Viçosa, Évora (Portugal) (1646)

In Vila Viçosa, in the Alentejo region, within the former Augustinian convent, Our Lady of the Conception, known as Queen and Patroness of Portugal, is venerated. It is one of the great national Marian shrines, uniquely linked to the history of the Portuguese monarchy.

Devotion has a moving gesture. After the Restoration of Portugal's Independence from Spain in 1640, King João IV of the House of Braganza proclaimed Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa Patroness and Queen of Portugal in 1646. By that vow, the Portuguese kings ceased to wear the royal crown, understanding that the only one crowned as Queen was the Virgin. The crown of the kingdom was offered to her, and her memory is preserved in the sanctuary.

Let us distinguish between the two. The vow of João IV and the proclamation of Our Lady of Vila Viçosa as Patroness of Portugal are documented in royal records and the country's historical memory, as is the practice of not physically crowning the kings and the sanctuary's role as a place of oaths and supplications for the monarchy. The Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception has been documented since the 15th century. However, the exact words and emotional scenes of the vow come from later devotional chronicles, and the protections attributed to the Virgin in battles belong to pious tradition, without exhaustive critical studies of each case.

The devotion is primarily to the Immaculate Conception. As a national Marian shrine, its celebrations include processions and the Rosary, especially on December 8th; however, there is no record of a miracle related to the Rosary nor of an original institution linked to it. The connection lies in the habitual Marian prayer.