Nuestra Señora de Belén (Our Lady of Bethlehem) is a
Flemish-style oil painting that arrived in Puerto Rico. Art specialists
attribute the painting of Nuestra Señora de Belén to Rogier van der Weyden,
whom was a painter from Brussels. The painting, which is on a wooden canvas,
depicts Nuestra Señora de Belén, as being medium sized, relatively pale face,
and strawberry red hair. Around her head are rays as she bares a breast while
feeding baby Jesus. According to legend, the painting of Our Lady of
Bethlehem appeared next to a fountain, which would later be the place where
the Dominican convent in San Juan would be founded, during the early 1500s. The painting of Nuestra Señora de Belén became significant during the Battle of San Juan (1797). The Battle of San Juan (1797) was a British assault on
the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. During this attack, bishop Juan Bautista
Zengotita gave the order of daily public prayers to be said in parishes
located in San Juan. According to Cayetano Coll y Toste's legend, the
painting of Nuestra Señora de Belén was carried through the city as
participants, whom were mostly women, carried torches and candles while
singing songs. This resulted in the British army being frightened at the
sight and deciding to retreat, no longer threatening the city. In celebration,
renowned painter José Campeche attributed the protection of San Juan to Our
Lady of Bethlehem. To show his gratitude, Campeche devoted much of his time
to reproducing a number of paintings of Nuestra Señora de Belén. José Campeche’s actions would catch the attention of the people of San Juan, who
then would begin to refer to Nuestra Señora de Belén as “La Protectora de la
Ciudad”, which translates to “Guardian of the City” in English. Some of Campeche’s
paintings of Nuestra Señora de Belén can be found in Old San Juan's National
Gallery and the Museum of the Universidad de Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. In 1806, Juan Alejo de Arizmendi, the first Puerto Rican bishop, granted forty days of indulgence to those who said a Hail
Mary in front of the image. Indulgence offers a way to reduce the time one must
undergo in punishments for sins while in Purgatory. |
