Nossa Senhora das Neves
Padroeira de La Palma
Uma das mais antigas imagens marianas das Ilhas Canárias preside, do seu santuário na montanha, à vida da ilha de La Palma. A cada cinco anos, toda a ilha acompanha-a na sua célebre Baixada (Descent).
Origem e história
Devotion to Our Lady of the Snows is documented at least from the 15th century and is linked to the earliest days of the island’s evangelization after the conquest. It very soon became the spiritual center of the people of La Palma, gathered around one of the oldest Marian carvings preserved in the archipelago.
The sanctuary was established as a Royal Insular Sanctuary, and the Virgin was proclaimed padrõess of La Palma. Since 1676 the Bajada (Descent) of the Virgin to Santa Cruz de La Palma has been celebrated; since 1945 this Bajada has had a lustral character —every five years— shaping the religious and popular life of the island.