Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The small statue that witnessed the birth of a nation

Florida (Uruguay) (1825)

In the city of Florida, Uruguay, a tiny image is venerated: a Baroque cedar carving measuring only thirty to thirty-six centimeters, originating from the Jesuit Missions of the region and dating from the first half of the 18th century. It passed through a ranch called "La Calera" and then arrived at the then-town of San Fernando de la Florida, remaining in its church, now the Cathedral Basilica.

That small Virgin was present at one of Uruguay's founding moments. In 1825, during the struggle for independence, the Thirty-Three Orientals crossed the Uruguay River on April 19. The Provisional Government met in Florida on June 14, and on August 25, the Assembly declared independence. The assembly members and authorities of the nascent nation went before the image venerated near the Assembly site to place the country under Mary's protection. From this connection with the thirty-three patriots arose her popular name: Our Lady of the Thirty-Three.

It is important to distinguish between documented and poetic accounts. The statement that the Virgin "saw the Thirty-Three pass by on foot" with the tricolor flag is a beautiful expression of devotion, not a strictly historical fact; reliable sources speak of the Florida Assembly and the act of entrusting the nation to her after the declaration. The sanctuary itself emphasizes that the devotion "did not originate from any extraordinary event," but rather sprang from the faith of the people united with the national feat. No specific physical miracle is recorded as its origin.

The well-documented evidence is extensive: the 18th-century Jesuit carving, its veneration in Florida as early as 1825, its historical connection to independence, and ecclesiastical recognitions. In 1961, Pope John XXIII granted the Pontifical Coronation at Piedra Alta in Florida, an emblematic site of the founding events; in 1962, he declared her Patroness of Uruguay; and on May 8, 1988, Saint John Paul II consecrated the country to her. Her feast day is celebrated on November 8, with a national pilgrimage on the second Sunday of November. During jubilee years, a faithful replica travels through the parishes of Montevideo and makes a pilgrimage to Florida. The Rosary is a common practice during these pilgrimages and celebrations, although there is no record of the devotion originating from a Rosary confraternity or a specific Rosary event.