Ireland On 7 December 1650, the
Irish Catholic Confederation, on the verge of its final defeat by the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, declared the Virgin Mother of God, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Kingdom of Ireland and was cited six days later:
Monaco The principality of Monaco claims patronage of their state to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The feast is a highly regarded celebration in their monarchy, with the
Monaco Cathedral rebuilt in 1903 and re-named under this specific patronage in 11 June 1911. The feast is also celebrated each December 8 as a designated
public holiday honoring wives and mothers. On 8 December 1958, the post office of Monaco issued a commemorative postal stamp celebrating the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, both honoring the images of
Pope Pius IX and
Pope Pius XII with the postal value of One
Franc.
Nicaragua , brought to Nicaragua this statue of the
Immaculate Conception of El Viejo.
Pope John Paul II granted a
Canonical coronation to the venerated Marian image on 28 December 1989. The Immaculate Conception is venerated as patroness of the Nicaraguan people. A letter of 1673 cites a document of 5 January 1626 according to which the statue was given by
Teresa of Avila to her brother, who brought it to where it now is and died there. Another document, drawn up in 1751 after a visit to the settlement of
El Viejo, where the statue is kept, and citing the 1673 letter, states that the name "Nuestra Señora del Viejo" was a reference to Teresa's brother, who was then an old man ("viejo" being
Spanish for "old"). It describes the statue and its adornment, including a crown. A traditional story is that the statue was brought by an old hermit who, when the ship he was travelling on refused to leave the harbour, explained that the statue wished to remain there. A Carmelite report of 1786 recorded the tradition that the statue was a gift of Teresa to her brother or uncle, who was governor of the locality, and that, when he attempted to take the statue with him when transferred to another governorship, storms repeatedly drove his ship back, so that he left the statue there. Another source gives the name of Teresa's brother as Don Lorenzo de Cepeda and repeats the story of the storm forcing him to leave the statue in what was then called Chamulpa and is now El Viejo. The statue was ceremoniously crowned by the local townspeople in 1747.
John Paul II issued the papal bull for the
Canonical coronation Quod est Ecclesiæ for the image on 28 December 1988, which was signed and executed by
Cardinal Agostino Casaroli. The coronation ceremony took place on 6 May 1989. On 7 February 1996, John Paul II visited the shrine on his second apostolic visit to Nicaragua. He later issued a Pontifical decree titled
Inter Insignes Sacras which raised the sanctuary of El Viejo to the status of
Minor Basilica on 20 December 1995. On 7 October 1996, the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua conferred the title "The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception of El Viejo"; and on 13 May 2001, the Episcopal Bishops' Conference of Nicaragua declared the Virgin Mary under this title be the national patroness of the country. On 4 August 2012,
Pope Benedict XVI sent the image a golden pearl rosary in recognition of the piety of the Nicaraguan people's. That same year, Nicaragua celebrated the 450th annual patronage of the Immaculate Conception with grand parades and national festivities. A popular custom (especially among children) in Nicaragua during this time is to gather in a group and sing several Marian hymns in front of people's houses where a statue of the
Immaculate Conception is enshrined. Similar to
caroling songs during Christmas time, children receive special candies or sweet treats given by the household after the conclusion of singing Marian hymns. In
Leon, Nicaragua, the feast is begun by a special day of penitence conducted each December 6, when the faithful take part in publicly cleaning all the silver treasures and accessories donated to the statue. The event is also celebrated with a tradition called
Gritería or "Shouting" in honor of the
Virgin Mary's conception and is composed of grand parades, fireworks, candlelight processions, songs and various religious activities related to the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her maternal role in Roman Catholicism. Similar practices are observed in various other
Catholic countries.
Portugal as patroness of Portugal. By royal decree under the
House of Braganza, the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of Portugal. An image of the Immaculate Conception venerated in the Shrine of Our Lady of Conception of Villa Vicosa was donated by
Nuno Álvares Pereira. On 25 March 1646, King
John IV of Portugal proclaimed Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception the nation's patroness, so that 8 December is a special feast day in Portugal. Upon crowning the image since that time, the Portuguese monarchs of the
House of Braganza renounced wearing a crown on their heads. In addition, the king minted both gold and silver coins bearing his seal while on the other side bears the Immaculate Conception with the Latin phrase titled
Tutelaris Regni. In 1946, at the 300th anniversary of this royal declaration, the government of Portugal also released a
postal stamp commemorating its patronage featuring the image of the Virgin Mary. The first document invoking the Marian patronage is found the king's address to the National Royal Chambers dated 30 June 1654 and was next followed again in the Royal Provision of 1646. The statue's design is unlike most Immaculate Conception images, as the Virgin Mary carries a
child Jesus rather than portrayed as being raised into Heaven. On 6 February 1818, the
Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa was erected in the Virgin Mary's patronal honor by King
John VI of Portugal. The feast marks one of the four national holidays in the Portugal. ==See also==