Virgin Mary of Guadalupe - the famous image of the Virgin, is considered the most revered shrine in all of Latin America. It is noteworthy that this is one of the few images of the Virgin, in which she is swarthy. In the Catholic tradition, it is revered as a miraculous image.
History of Appearance
Among the first sources mentioning the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a recording by Luis Lasso de la Vega. Everything indicates that they were made in 1649. They, in particular, indicate that at the end of 1531, the Mother of God appeared four times to a local peasant named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin.
He was an Aztec who is now revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. According to legend, for the first time the Virgin appeared to Juan in early December, it happened on the top of a hill called Tepeyac, now it is the northern part of the modern Mexican capital - the city of Mexico City. The Mother of God began to speak to him, declaring,that he wants to build a temple in this place. She then told Juan to go to the Bishop of Mexico and tell him of her desire.
It is noteworthy that her appearance fully corresponded to the ideas of the Indians about how a young girl of unearthly beauty should look like, in particular, the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe was originally swarthy.
The peasant did not dare to disobey the mysterious stranger, going to the Franciscan Bishop Juan de Zumarraga.
De Zumarraga was a Spanish priest, the first bishop of Mexico. Historians note that it was an extremely controversial person. On the one hand, it was his merit that higher education, a he alth care system, and printing appeared in Mexico, in 1534 he opened the country's first public library, and led a fierce struggle against slavery. At the same time, he treated with disdain the past of the people who lived on this earth. By his order, monuments of Indian culture were destroyed, he became the founder of the Mexican Inquisition.
At the same time, de Zumarraga listened to the peasant, but did not believe his words, asking him to come later, since he supposedly needed time to think everything over. On the way home, Diego again saw the Madonna on the hill, he immediately confessed to her that the bishop did not believe his story. The Mother of God, in response to this, ordered him to go again to de Zumarraga the next day, repeat his request, emphasizing that this desire comes from the mother of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin.
The next day was Sunday. Diego first visited the church, and after the servicewent to the bishop a second time. Togo was still tormented by doubts, although, seeing how stubborn the peasant was, he began to gradually believe him. Still, de Zumarraga asked Diego to tell the Mother of God that he needed some kind of sign from above in order to finally believe. All on the same hill, the Mother of God was still waiting for Juan. Hearing the request of the bishop, she ordered the peasant to return to this place the next day in order to receive the very "sign" that would convince the bishop to start building the church.
On Monday, Diego had to go to visit his uncle, who was seriously ill. He could not miss this visit, he even went the other way to his relative, so as not to meet the Mother of God, but she still ended up on his way. She immediately reassured the peasant, declaring that he should not rush to his uncle, because he had completely recovered. Instead, Diego should go to the top of the hill to collect confirmation of her words for the bishop.
According to the tradition that exists in Catholicism, Diego discovered on the hill that there were many blooming roses at its very top, despite the fact that it was winter around. He cut some flowers, wrapped them in a cloak, and went to the bishop. At the priest's reception, the peasant silently took off his cloak, throwing roses at his feet. Seeing this, all those present fell to their knees, as the image of the Virgin herself appeared on the cloak at that moment.
Building a temple
The very next day, Juan took the bishop to the place where the Mother of God had orderedbuild a temple. By the way, his uncle really recovered, saying that the Virgin Mary appeared to him. It was to him that the Mother of God informed that her image should be called Guadalupe. The word comes from a corruption of an Aztec expression that means "one who crushes a snake".
The temple was built on the site of a destroyed pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Tonantzin.
The development of Catholicism
After this event, it was decided to build a temple on a hill in honor of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. In subsequent years, thousands of pilgrims from all over America began to flock there, as it was a unique case when the Mother of God herself chose a place for the construction of the temple and actually blessed it.
This event was important for the development of Christianity in Mexico. It was thanks to the construction of this temple and the story of the appearance of the Madonna to the peasant Diego that the Aztecs began to massively accept Catholicism, before that the missionaries managed to convert only a few to their faith. After these events, local residents began to baptize themselves, no longer resorting to the help of Spanish missionaries. Over the next six years, about 8 million Aztecs converted to Christianity. At that time, it was almost the entire indigenous population of Mexico.
Diego himself had been a Christian for several years by that time, he converted to Catholicism in 1524. At the place of his meeting with the Holy Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, a church was built, and the very appearance of the Virgin Mary became the oldest of those that are officially recognized. Catholic Church.
Basilica in Mexico City
Today everyone can visit this place. The city with the temple of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe - Mexico City.
The foundation of the basilica was built in the 18th century, over time it sank, it was closed for some time and inaccessible to pilgrims. The basilica has survived to this day in an updated and reconstructed form. The temple was rebuilt several times so that it could accommodate everyone. Today, about 20 thousand people can be in it at the same time.
However, all these changes had no effect on the cloak of the peasant Diego, on which the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared.
Today, the cape remains the main shrine of the basilica. The phenomenon was studied by scientists from different countries, but they could not come to a consensus on what happened then, there is still no rational explanation for this miracle. It is not clear how the ordinary cape of a poor peasant, which was woven from herbs about 500 years ago, has survived to this day. The only thing that was proved was that the image of the Virgin was not applied with a brush and paints.
The Basilica is open to visitors daily from 6 am to 9 pm. You can get to the temple by metro from almost anywhere in Mexico City, several nearest stations are literally within walking distance from the monastery. If you decide to rent a car, keep in mind that there are two spacious underground parking spaces under the Basilica building. About 14 million people make the pilgrimage every year. For somedata, this is the largest figure in the world.
Churches of the Mother of God in other cities
There are several other churches dedicated to the Madonna in Mexico. The Temple of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe is located in the town of Puerto Vallarta, a resort in the east of the country in the bay of Bahia de Banderas. The religious building is a church, which began to be built in 1918. Once upon a time there was an openwork dome on top, which resembled frozen lace, it was supported by eight angels. In 1965, there was an earthquake in Puerto Rico with a force of seven points, because of which this city with the temple of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe lost its openwork crown.
In 1979, they wanted to build a fiberglass roof instead, but this project was never realized. The tower dome, 15.5 meters high, appeared only in 2009. It is worth noting that the interior of this temple is richly decorated, it contains many sacred works, including a marble altar.
Another temple of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico is located in San Cristobal de las Casas, which is called the "city of churches". The religious building dedicated to the Mother of God was built in 1835 on the top of the Guadalupe hill. From here you have a beautiful view of the city. Within this temple is a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was created in 1850.
The history of this structure is interesting. Built on a hill, it eventually turned out to be surrounded by more modern urban buildings. In 1844, this part of San Cristobal de las Casas was virtually untouched.inhabited. The church is open all year round, but pilgrims tend to visit it from December 1 to December 12, when it is decorated in a special way in honor of the heavenly patroness.
Prayer
For Mexicans, the Virgin is considered one of the most important saints. Moreover, there are several options for praying to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. Here is one of them.
Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, you
who sanctifies our souls, river of light, queen of the sky, Queen of all Mexicans.
You who answer our prayers
and protect us from evil, please intercede
for all those who visit this chapel, dedicated to you.
And here is another option that can be found on icons sold in specialized church shops.
Come to You, Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, Since we believed on Tepeyak, that You are our Holy Mother, and in Your Fifth Revelation have mercy on us
and with motherly care heal all ills.
We are sick at heart.
Heal us, gracious Lady, so that we always abide in the grace of Christ the Savior.
Mother of God and our Mother, awake in our hearts
as lifeless and cold as Tepeyac
love for God and our brothers.
Scientific explanation of the phenomenon
Photos of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe are still mesmerizing andsurprise many. Scientists have repeatedly attempted to explain this mysterious phenomenon. The image of the Mother of God herself, as well as the tilma (material for the cloak) were subjected to three independent examinations, which were carried out between 1947 and 1982. According to their results, the researchers could not come to a consensus on how the image of the Holy Virgin Mary of Guadalupe got there. Photos of this phenomenon, which in Catholicism is recognized as one of the miracles, are very popular among Christian believers in the West and in Latin America.
The conclusions of the experts who conducted the research turned out to be too contradictory. Nobel Prize winner in chemistry German Richard Kuhn authoritatively stated that dyes of animal, natural or mineral origin were not used in the creation of this image.
In 1979, Jody Smith and Philip Callahan studied the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe using infrared radiation. The scientists concluded that the hands, parts of the face, robes and clothes in the image were created in one step, which does not hide any obvious brush strokes or noticeable corrections.
Peruvian engineer José Aste Tonsmann, an employee of the Mexican Research Center of Guadeloupe, digitally processed a scanned face, a photo of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. The scientist discovered amazing facts. In the reflections of the eyes of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, in the photo it became clearly visible, an image of Juan Diego was found. At the same time, it turned out that the same image is present in both eyes, but made from different angles, as,for example, when what is happening directly in front of a person is reflected in human eyes.
Expert opinions
Scientists and researchers still do not have a consensus on this issue. The part claims that no traces of primer were found on the canvas, which would have to be used before applying the paint. Also, many who have studied the image note the amazing preservation of the material itself, while in reality the fabric made from cactus fibers, namely, from which the cloak of a Mexican peasant was, is extremely short-lived. Most often, it comes into complete disrepair after 20 years. In this case, the tilma is about five hundred years old, of which it was not protected by glass for at least 130 years, constantly exposed to candle soot, atmospheric phenomena, kisses and touches of believers.
At the same time, there are sources claiming that close-up photography and infrared analysis revealed a pigment that is used to highlight an area of the face, helping to hide the very texture of the fabric. There was also obvious peeling and cracking of the paint throughout the entire vertical joint.
Infrared analysis
Infrared analysis also found a line on the robe that miraculously resembles a sketch line. Presumably, with its help, an unknown medieval artist sketched out the contours of the face before starting to paint.
Interesting observations were made by the portrait painter Glenn Taylor,who noticed that the hair of the Mother of God is not located in the center of the image, and the eyes, including the pupils, have outlines that are typical for paintings, but do not occur in reality. So the artist suggested that these contours were applied to the cloak with a brush. According to him, some other evidence also suggests that the drawing was simply copied by an inexperienced artist and then expertly forged.
Believing Catholics, as well as various researchers of religious miracles, are convinced that the image of the Virgin Mary is really a miracle. True, the latter have already discredited themselves more than once with dubious conclusions and statements. These include the American Joe Nickel from the state of New York, who has already tried to explain the phenomenon of the blood of St. Januarius. Then he claimed that it was not really blood, but a mixture composed of iron oxide, wax and olive oil, which melted with slight changes in temperature. At the same time, he himself never examined the relic, ignoring the results of spectral analyzes, which were carried out repeatedly.
Sculpture streaming myrrh
More than once one could encounter the fact that the statue of the Virgin, to which this article is dedicated, began to stream myrrh. In July 2018, it became known that a statue in a Catholic church in the American city of Hobbs, located in the state of New Mexico, began to stream myrrh.
The clergy and parishioners noticed that the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe was crying. After the appearance of the first such messages, pilgrims from all over began to flock to the temple.countries. They began to pray in front of the bronze statue and film it with their mobile phones.
They said that "tears" flowed from the eyes of the sculpture. It was a clear liquid that had a pleasant aromatic smell. When the drops were tried to wipe off, they soon reappeared. Many are convinced that this is another miracle of the Mother of God, however, the abbots of the diocese itself, to which the temple belongs, are in no hurry to draw conclusions. They stated that the competent authorities are conducting a thorough examination, which will establish whether this phenomenon can be explained with the help of natural forces, the laws of chemistry or physics, in particular, X-rays will be used. If scientists fail to do this, then the work of God through this statue of the Virgin will be officially recognized.
Details were told by the rector of the temple, who noted that all the records from the video surveillance cameras installed in the temple were carefully studied. It was not possible to find anyone who would make any manipulations with the sculpture.
According to US media reports, about 500 ml of an unknown substance has already poured out of the eyes of the sculpture. Chemical analysis showed that this is an aromatic oil that is used in the sacrament of chrismation, according to Christian rites. At the same time, the liquid was different from the aromatic oil, as it was transparent, while the standard oil has an olive color.
The study is currently ongoing, however, no evidence of human interference in these processes could be found.
