The Virgin of Bisila, Mother of Bioko
Equatorial Guinea · Island of Bioko · National Patroness
The island of Fernando Poo
The island of Bioko - called Fernando Poo until the independence of Equatorial Guinea in 1968 - is a volcanic island in the Gulf of Guinea, 32 km from the coast of Cameroon. It was discovered by Portuguese navigator Fernando Poo in 1472. The Claretian missionaries arrived in the mid-19th century and evangelized the island with a remarkable intensity: today Equatorial Guinea is the only official Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa and has more than 85% of the Catholic population.
Bisila: the name and history
La advocación de Our Lady of Bisila has its origin in a local history transmitted by the bubis - the village of Bioko -. According to tradition, a Marian apparition occurred in the area of Bisila, in the south of the island. The Claretian missionaries collected and promoted devotion, which became the center of the Bubi Catholic identity.
The image of the Virgin of Bisila - a wood size of African bill - was canonically crowned in 1948 by the bishop of the diocese. It is the first canonical coronation of a Marian image in equatorial Africa.
Patron of the nation
When Equatorial Guinea became independent from Spain on 12 October 1968, the Virgin of Bisila was already the most powerful symbol of the identity of the Bubi people and Catholics throughout the island. It was proclaimed Patron de Guinea Equatorial. His feast is held on August 15 (Asunción de María) with processions that travel throughout the island.
The Bisila shrine, in the south of the island, is the main pilgrimage point of the country. Every 15 August, thousands of faithful come from Malabo and the different villages of Bioko.
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