ANOTHER LADY OF GUADALUPE - SPAIN
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December 21, 2021
200 years before her appearance in Mexico, Our Lady appeared on Mount Guadalupe in Spain.
A little-known fact in the English-speaking world is that the Marian title of Our Lady of Guadalupe predates the apparition to Juan Diego in Mexico and finds its origin in Spain. The story begins in the 7th century, when the Holy Father gave a statue of Our Lady to the bishop of Seville.
During the 8th century a battle was fought in the region where the statue was kept and a few local inhabitants sought to protect the precious statue of Our Lady, taking it out of harm’s way. They took it as far as Mount Guadalupe in Extremadura, Spain and hid it in a cave located at its base. Afterwards no one knew of its location and it stayed in the cave for nearly six centuries.
Then in 1326 a herdsman named Gil went in search of a lost cow near Mount Guadalupe. Unfortunately, he found the cow, dead, and was about to use his knife to begin taking the hide off when the cow suddenly rose and was restored to health. Then Gil turned and saw a beautiful Lady. She spoke to him and revealed to him the location of the missing statue.
I am the Mother of the Redeemer, and it was I who restored life to the dead animal. Go to the priest and the people, and tell them that it is my wish that they should come and remove the stones that obstruct this cave, where they will find my image. Tell them to have a chapel erected on this spot, and in time to come I shall make the shrine a center of my heavenly power and protection.
Gil went to tell others about what happened, but discovered that his son had died. He was grieved over his loss, but he had hope that Our Lady would intercede for him and raise his son to life. She did so during the funeral and all who were present were astonished.
Shortly thereafter they went to the cave and found the statue where Our Lady had instructed them. A chapel was built at the location and eventually a large shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was established.
Among the many noteworthy personages that visited the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe were Queen Isabella I, King Ferdinand II, and Christopher Columbus. In 1486, during a Holy Week pilgrimage to this shrine, Columbus met with representatives from the court of the Catholic Monarchs to negotiate royal sponsorship of his voyages to India. After Columbus reached America in 1492, he returned to the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe to give thanks to God, through the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who had granted him a safe voyage.
The shrine of Guadalupe in Spain is a stunning complex of five main structures: the Mudejar cloister, the Gothic cloister, the Plateresque portal, the church building itself, which dates back to 1730 and was designed by one of Christopher Columbus' descendants, and a painting and sculpture museum that houses works by many of Spain's finest artists.
Articles from: aleteia.org/2019/12/12/how-our-lady-of-guadalupe-first-appeared-to-a-herdsman-in-spain/# Philip Kosloski - published on 12/12/19
And Catholic Exchange, Another Lady of Guadalupe by Richard Segerstrom, January 13, 2012
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=436903
AND https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Monastery_of_Santa_Maria_de_Guadalupe.jpg#/media/File:Royal_Monastery_of_Santa_Maria_de_Guadalupe.jpg
