Nuestra Señora de la Paz

Source: https://www.oblatos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/virgen_de_la_paz_1_354x537.jpg

Country

Bolivia

Description

Nuestra Señora de La Paz is also known as Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, and as such is venerated as the protectress of ships at sea.  In art, she is normally shown holding a dove and an olive branch, which are both symbols of peace.  She is also known as Our Lady of Antipolo; Virgin of Antipolo; Our Lady of Peace; Nuestra Señora de La Paz y Buen Viaje; and Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. Our Lady of Peace is an image that is venerated across the world by many Roman Catholics.  Our Lady of Peace is celebrated worldwide on July 9th, which is her memorial feast.  In the United States and in some other countries, the memorial feast is celebrated on January 24th.

 

One of the most important symbols of Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.  This is also known as La Paz Cathedral and is located in the Murillo Square of the city of La Paz in Bolivia.  In the year 1622, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace took a total of 70 years to complete until it was finally open to the public.  But, in the year 1831 the stone, brick, and lime that were used to build the Cathedral seemed to be in frail condition, so the city had to make the decision to completely demolish the Cathedral.  Everyone that lived in the town of La Paz donated their money and raised money so they could rebuild the Cathedral in 1835.  Manuel Sanahuja was the well-known architect at the time that built the Cathedral and led the reconstruction team.  When the Cathedral was finally built, it opened in the year 1925.  This Cathedral contributed to the founding of the Republic of Bolivia.

 

This beautiful Cathedral took about 150 years to completely finish and has an exquisite interior and exterior.  It has a neoclassical colonial influence and has a huge, high metal dome that catches your eye from miles away.  The ceilings and columns are high, and the walls are very sturdy so the Cathedral will hold up for many years.  The interior is distributed in five ships with different layers. Bolivian’s find this Cathedral to be so impressive and enchanting because of how it is built on top of a steep hill in the city.  In the year 1989, Pope John Paul II visited the Cathedral once the two lateral towers were opened.


Bolivia has a smaller Basilica to honor Our Lady of Peace called The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, also known as Potosí Cathedral.  This Cathedral is located in Potosí and is made of stone.  Potosí Cathedral also has a neoclassical colonial influence, and was built between the years 1808-1838.  This Cathedral is much smaller than the Cathedral in the city of La Paz, but still is very important to the Bolivians and their faith to Our Lady of Peace.

 

References:

Research by Abigail A. Schaefer

Popular Devotions

• Venerated as the protectress of ships at sea

• Antipolo is the site of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage

Citation: “Mary in our life” by Nicholas J. Santoro.  Atlas of the names and titles of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and their place in Marian devotion.  From the University of Dayton Marian Library.

Hail Mary

Dios te salve, María. Llena eres de gracia: El Señor es contigo. 

Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres. 

Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesús. 

Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, 

ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.

Amen.

All content is used with permission 

of the Marian Library at the 

University of Dayton.