Our Lady on the Pillar
Our Lady on the Pillar (Spanish Nuestra Señora del Pilar or Virgen del Pilar ) is a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary on a pillar in Saragossa . The statuette is now in the Basílica del Pilar , the largest baroque church in Spain , built around it .
Tradition has it that Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared on this pillar to the Apostle James the Elder on January 2, 40 AD . In Mariology the apparition is considered to be the first apparition of Mary at all and at the same time the only apparition of the Mother of God that took place during her earthly lifetime. The patron saint of Our Lady is October 12th, which also marks the Spanish national holiday. Our Lady of the Pillar is considered the patron saint of Spain and the " Hispanidad " because Christopher Columbus in 1492 on October 12, America for the Spanish Empire discovered .
The first name Pilar (actually María del Pilar ), which is very common in all of Spain and especially in the area around Saragossa, is derived from this miraculous image. Numerous congregations are named after the Virgen del Pilar , including the community of the Misioneras de Nuestra Señora del Pilar y Santiago Apóstol, founded in Saragossa in 1958 .
