Virgen de Cotoca

Virgen de Cotoca, Marian holy cards collection,

ML. 031, circa 1675-2018. Marian Library, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.

Country

Bolivia

Description

The Virgin de Cotoca is the patron saint of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  There is a shrine built in her honor where her image is located in the city of Cotoca in Santa Cruz.  The origin of the image of the Virgin of Cotoca is still not clear, but there are multiple well-known legends associated with her first appearance.  The first legend tells of two men who are trying to cut down a tree when the city of Cotoca was a small agricultural community.  While these men were cutting the tree down an image of the Virgin appeared in the tree trunk.

 

Another legend, recorded by Aquiles Gómez, involves runaway slaves.  These slaves were wrongly accused by their owners of assassinating another sugar cane hacienda owner.  So, they ran into the jungle to escape their death.  While in the jungle, they were looking for firewood and they discovered an image of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk.  The runaway slaves were Christian and prayed to the Virgin that they would be able to prove their innocence for the crime they did not commit.  They took the image from the trunk and brought it back to their owner in Cotoca to make him believe they did not assassinate the other owner.  To slaves’ surprise, they learned that the actual murderer confessed to the crime the same day and the same hour that the slaves discovered the image in the tree stump.

 

These two legends are believed to be the first miracles performed by the Virgin of Cotoca, but there were many others. So in 1799, the Catholic Church in Bolivia build a shrine in the Virgin of Cotoca’s honor.  On December 15, 1800, the first mass was held and celebrated at the new shrine where the image was housed.  The statue of the Virgin of Cotoca is made from polished wood, which appears to have been carved perfectly in polychrome.  The statue is wearing gold jewelry and a crown with gold jewels.  She wears a white and blue mantle lined with gold and holds a white scapular in her hands.

 

The Virgin de Cotoca is also known as “Little Mother of Cotoca.”  On December 8, Catholics from all over travel by foot to visit the Shrine, and celebrate a festival that lasts until December 15, a total of eight days.  The faithful walk the seventeen miles from Santa Cruz to Cotoca in the hope that the Virgin will perform miracles for them as well.  Some even crawl on their hands and kneess all through the days and nights until they arrive at the church.  When they reach the church, all light candles and pray.  Many bring things with them to receive blessings from the priests at attendance in the shrine.

 

References:

Researched by Abigail A. Schaefer

Popular Devotions

MI031 Marian Holy Card Collection

• There is a Shrine built in her honor in the City of Cotoca in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and is cared for by the Dominican priests.  Bolivians who travel to the Shrine travel on foot from the City of Santa Cruz.

• There is a feast day dedicated to the Virgin of Cotoca, but is celebrated over 8 days.  It begins December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception and ends December 15th.  Devoted Bolivians travel to the Shrine in Cotoca.

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Virgen_de_Cotoca#Devotion

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.

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University of Dayton.