Our Lady of Mt. Carmel de Maipu, Patrona

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid-13th century. The Carmelite Order were one of the first religious orders to start in the Crusader States. In the mid-1200s, many of the members of the Carmelites migrated to Europe. Several years later, once established, conquerors climbed Mount Carmel and massacred monks and their dwellings.

Tradition says that in the late 14th century, Simon Stock witnessed an apparition from Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Simon Stock, who is a saint of the church, was an early English general of the Carmelite order. In Simon Stock’s apparition, Our Lady of Mount Carmel came to him, gave him a brown scapular, and told him to promote devotion to it. A scapular consists of 2 pieces of cloth connected by chords that go over the head. Scapulars are now part of the Carmelite habit. Carmelites whom wear it, wear it as a form of devotion to Mary and place their care in Mary. In Simon Stock’s apparition, Mary promised that those who died wearing a scapular would be later saved.

Although this is the origin of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, how Our Lady became the patron saint of Chile lies in Chile’s struggle for independence.  In 1785, Don Martin de Lecuna commissioned a sculptor in Quito to create an image of Nuestra Señora del Carmen (which is a common way to refer to OL Mt. Carmel in Spanish). Over the years, this image has taken on significance as a symbol of the struggle and fight for independence of the Chilean nation. For example, on December 5, 1811, Generals José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O'Higgins requested a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving of the Vicar of Santiago de Chile in order to celebrate successes in the struggle for independence.  On January 5th, 1817, General José Miguel Carrera placed his own baton in the right hand of the statue and named her “Patroness of the Army of the Andes.”  Additionally, on the eve of the battle of Chabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins proclaimed Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Maipu a General of Chilean Armed Forces.

In 1818, with the Spanish forces advancing, the people of Maipu crowded into the cathedral to offer their prayers and wishes at the feet of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The people promised that they would raise a church in the spot where independence was won to Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Maipu.  On April 5th, 1818, during the battle of Maipu, General San Martin asked his soldiers to cry out with him, “Our Patroness, the most Blessed Virgin Nuestra Señora del Carmen, will give us victory, and right here we will build the church we promised her to commemorate this triumph.”

By the end of 1818, having won the battle against the Spanish, the Chileans laid the first stone of the sanctuary in Maipu. The shrine wasn’t finished until 1892 and since then there has been multiple renovations done and even the building of a new church that was completed in October of 1974. In 1923, at the request of the Chilean Bishops, the Holy See named Nuestra Señora del Carmen “principal patroness of all Chileans,” not just the Army and Naval forces.  In 1987, her temple was declared a Basilica.

Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Maipu is celebrated on July 16th. This celebration consists of many neighboring cities coming to Maipu and devoting their time, prayers, and leaving her flowers, pictures, spices, etc. Her feast day is July, which is prefaced with Masses that are said from the 14th of May through the 15th of July. 

References:

1. “Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chile in 2024.“ Office Holidays. Accessed April 12, 2024.

2. “Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” University of Dayton. Accessed April 12, 2024.

3. Prado Ocaranza, Juan Guillermo. Santuarios y Fiestas Marianas En Chile. Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Paulinas, 1981.

4. “The Origins of Carmel.” Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Lafayette, Louisiana.  Accessed April 12, 2024.

Researched by Aneudy De Jesus

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.