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Basilica Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá
The history of Chiquinquirá Virgin
The virgin of Chiquinquirá(called Chinita by the settlers) is the patron saint of the Zulianos, and the basilica is the temple where her image rests. It has its history, the virgin is drawn on a tablet, they say that many years ago in the neighborhood the Saladillo lived a humble old woman, who worked washing other people's clothes. One morning, on November 18, 1709, the lady left her house to work on the shores of Lake Maracaibo. It was a quiet day with clear skies, she was focused on her work, when suddenly the serene water that a tablet reaches your hands. The lady takes it and observes that an unknown virgin was drawn on it, but she did not pay much attention to it, she thought about using it to cover her water jar. At the end of her work she took the board and went to her house, when she arrived she looked at her again and thought that she was beautiful, as it was someone had been able to get rid of her. He appreciated the fact that it had reached his hands and in effect, placed it on the jar to cover the fresh water.The lady took a nap, because she was exhausted, then when she woke it was already night, so she went out to the winery to trust some candles, she would pay them with what she would earn washing clothes. When he returned home he noticed that the street was full of people, then he realized that everyone was in front of his house, more was his amazement and emotion when entering the room is lit with the glow emitted by the Virgin drawn in the little board, which was in the air. How incredible this moment must have been both for her and for those present who witnessed the miracle. According to the legend, after a while the authorities of Maracaibo decided to make a procession to take the image from the house of the lady to the mother church of Maracaibo, but when turning a corner it became so heavy that they could not carry it anymore. So one of those present said that maybe the virgin did not want to go to the Mother Church but to the Church of San Juan de Dios, which was the Church of the humble people of Maracaibo. They took these words, so the procession changed its course to said Church, and the image returned to its normal weight. From that moment the virgin is in the so-called basilica, and every November 18 her parishioners arrive there to commemorate her day with religious acts.
This day I was carrying my camera, so I took some pictures.
We walk along the Chinita promenade, until we get to the Monument, this construction was inaugurated in 2004, a very beautiful work.
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Along the route you can enjoy the flowers (in the photo: trinitaria), you have places to sit and enjoy the sculptures that are there, like the one of the Chiquinquirá Virgin.
Photography: @albanilaguna
I also learned that during the last visit of Pope John Paul II to Maracaibo-Venezuela, this place was called Iglesia a cielo abierto. It really is a very beautiful place.
Photos taken by @betza on HP Photosmart E337 camera
Source consulted:
Ricardo Francisco Cuervo Aranguren(2009). Advocaciones Marianas. Retrieved on June 2, 2018. Available in: http://advocaciones-marianas.blogspot.com/2009/11/nuestra-senora-de-chiquinquira.html
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