Our Lady of the Pillar

An ancient Spanish tradition tells that the Apostle Saint James, discouraged in his preaching in Hispania, was praying by the Ebro River at Caesaraugusta, today Zaragoza, when the Virgin Mary, still living in Jerusalem, appeared to him on January 2 of the year 40, standing on a pillar of jasper. She encouraged him and asked that a church be built on that spot, promising that the pillar would remain as long as there were believers there.

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza stands on the site and keeps the small wooden image of Mary with the Child on top of the column, which pilgrims touch and kiss from behind. The column is usually covered by a mantle that changes every day. During the Spanish Civil War, in 1936, bombs fell on the basilica but did not explode; two are still displayed inside.

October 12 is a feast throughout Spain (a solemnity in Zaragoza) and also the Día de la Hispanidad, the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492, so the Pilar is honored as patroness of the Hispanic world. In Zaragoza, hundreds of thousands of people in regional dress bring flowers in the Ofrenda de Flores, covering a huge frame around her image.

The Fiestas del Pilar also include an offering of fruits and the Rosary of Glass procession, and Spanish and Latin American communities, including Spain's Civil Guard, honor her as patroness.