Virgin of Candelaria

According to a legend recorded by Alonso de Espinosa in 1594, a statue of the Virgin Mary, bearing a child in one hand and a green candle in the other (hence "Candelaria"), was discovered on the beach of Chimisay (Güímar) by two Guanche goatherds in 1392. This was before the Castilian conquest of the island of Tenerife (the island was not fully conquered until 1496). One of the shepherds tried to throw a stone at the statue, but his arm became paralysed; the other tried to stab the statue with a knife but ended up stabbing himself. The statue was taken by the local guanche mencey to the cueva de Chinguaro. Later, Antón, a Guanche who had been enslaved and converted to Christianity by the Castilians, returned to Tenerife and recognized the statue as that of the Virgin Mary. He told the mencey of his conversion and the statue was thus venerated by the Guanches, who moved it to the cave of Achbinico (also known as San Blas – "Saint Blaise"). Before the conquest of Tenerife, the Guanche aborigines celebrated a festivity around the image of the Virgin during the Beñesmen festival in the month of August. This was the harvest party, which marked the beginning of the year. Currently, the feast of the Virgin of Candelaria in Canary Islands is celebrated in addition to February 2 also on August 15, the day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic calendar. For some historians, the celebrations celebrated in honor of the Virgin during the month of August are a syncretized reminiscence of the ancient feasts of the Beñesmen. The original statue was a medieval gothic sculpture with dark colour and clothing similar to that of the Virgin of Lluch (patron saint of Mallorca) and the Virgin of Montserrat (patroness saint of Catalonia). ==Veneration==

in Jaro, Iloilo City, the Roman Catholic patroness of Western Visayas in the Philippines. It is the first marian statue crowned in personam without a papal legate by a pope and saint in Asia (John Paul II). Her feast day which is celebrated every February 2, is the largest Marian festival outside of Luzon. The first Mass was celebrated at Achbinico on February 2, 1497, and the Adelantado Alonso Fernández de Lugo ordered the construction of a hermitage there, but it was not built until 1526, during the rule of Pedro Fernández de Lugo. This was the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria. The basilica was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the 19th century. along with those of other Marian devotions famous in Spain. Every year on February 2 and August 15 is celebrated a big party in honor of the Virgin. These days there are thousands of pilgrims and tourists coming to Candelaria from all points of the Canary Islands and other parts of Spain and the world. The feast day is marked by a solemn procession and a religious ceremony, although its most famous component is a re-enactment of the discovery of the statue, with locals dressing up as guanche natives. In addition to that, every seven years the image of the Virgin of Candelaria is transferred to Santa Cruz de Tenerife (capital of the island) and San Cristóbal de La Laguna (seat of the Diocese of Tenerife), alternating every seven years between the two cites: in 2002 it was Santa Cruz and in 2009 La Laguna and so to successively. Strange letters on the original carving of the Virgin In the carved drapery of the Virgin of Candelaria original there were strange sequences of letters whose meaning is still unknown. These were: • Band on the neck: ETIEPFSEPMERI • In the belt: NARMPRLMOTARE • On the left sleeve, by the candle: LPVRINENIPEPNEIFANT • In the mantle, in the right arm: OLM INRANFR IAEBNPFM RFVEN NVINAPIMLIFINVIPI NIPIAN • At the edge of the left hand: FVPMIRNA ENVPMTI EPNMPIR VRVIVINRN APVIMFRI PIVNIAN NTRHN • At the bottom of the robe: EAFM IRENINI FMEAREI • On the back of the cape: NBIMEI ANNEIPERFMIVIFVF There have been numerous theories proposed regarding possible meanings over the years, including that the evangelizing friars of the Canary Islands wrote devotions to the Virgin Mary in the context of the original (Insular-Amazigh) Guanche language, while attempting to transcribe them into Roman letters. ==Shrines==

(Tenerife) Basilica of Candelaria and Cueva de Achbinico The first great Sanctuary to the Virgin of Candelaria was constructed in 1668. After a fire destroyed the ancient basilica, a larger church (the current basilica) was built. The current basilica dates to 1959. It was constructed on a former hermitage, and can hold 5,000 people. The Cave of San Blas was the first Christian church of the Canaries. It was here that the early inhabitants of the Canary Isles first revered the Virgin of Candelaria. The cave is located behind Candelaria's Basilica and is a site of pilgrimage. Achbinico's cave has historical significance as it was here that many baptisms of guanches took place. National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles (Jaro Cathedral) The Jaro Cathedral (National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles) in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines, which is the mother church under the catholic Archdiocese of Jaro that oversees the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Guimaras and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas region, is dedicated to the Virgin of Candelaria, the patroness of the Western Visayas region, Romblon, and Negros Occidental. The feast of Candelaria held every February 2 is one of the largest Roman Catholic feasts dedicated to Marian devotion in the Philippines. The Candelaria of Jaro's image was found in 1587, the year when the town of Jaro was established as a parish. Later, she was transferred to the newly built Jaro Cathedral during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines around 1700s and 1800s. The cathedral where she is enshrined has been declared a National Shrine of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (the only Marian shrine in Visayas and Mindanao). Her image perched atop the facade of Jaro Cathedral is the first and only marian image crowned personally without a papal legate by a pope and saint in the Philippines and Asia, by Pope John Paul II. The image of Our Lady of Candelaria of Jaro is considered as the oldest Virgin of Candelaria image in the country. Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria (Silang, Cavite) The Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria was founded in 1595 and dedicated in honor to Our Lady of Candelaria in 1640. Also commonly known as the Silang Church, it is a Roman Catholic parish in the municipality of Silang, Cavite, in the Philippines under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus. It is known for its Spanish colonial architectural style and the rococo influenced retablos. The Church with its retablos was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on 4 February 2011. The image of Our Lady of Candelaria of Silang is considered as the oldest image in the Province of Cavite and the second oldest Virgin of Candelaria image in the country. Virgen de Candelaria Chapel (Tatala, Binangonan, Rizal) This is the only chapel in Binangonan, Rizal, that venerates the image of Virgen de Candelaria. Its feast day is celebrated every February 2 with the blessing of the candles and a Solemn Mass. After the Mass, there is a traditional Pandanggo or Processional dance in honor to the Our Lady of Candelaria of Tatala. ==In the Americas and Philippines==

The cult of the Virgin of Candelaria swept America due to the emigration of Canarians. They brought the devotion as a symbol of their culture, somewhat similar to the diffusion of the cult of Saint Patrick by Irish emigrants. On the other hand, the Candelaria image brought to the Philippines has a white image with a child. She is widely venerated in South America and the Caribbean, where she is the patroness of Oruro and La Paz (Bolivia),Cartagena de Indias and Medellín (both in Colombia) (Medellín was founded as Villa de Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria de Medellín), Mayagüez (Puerto Rico) (which was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez), and Manatí (Puerto Rico) (which was founded as Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y San Matías). In the Cathedral of San Fernando of Texas (the oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States) is a replica of the Virgin of Candelaria, which is a facsimile of that venerated in the Canary Islands. This is because the city of San Antonio was founded by Canarians. In the Philippines, she is the patroness of Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, and a white version with a child is found in the Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo City: it is either of local heavenly origin since its discovery was miraculous being found floating in a river, changing in weight and growing in size or it may be brought by the Spanish immigrants during Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. Her feast is celebrated every February 2 with pageantry where the Fiesta queen is chosen from prominent Spanish-Filipino families in the district of Jaro. The image and statue is located atop the cathedral and is the only Marian statue crowned by pope and saint in the Philippines, during the visit of Pope John Paul II. The first church of Dilao (now the District of Paco in Manila) was initially dedicated to the Virgen de Candelaria, until its Parish was named to San Fernando. Until now, the Virgin is considered the secondary patroness and attributions are manifested throughout the post war church structure. She was the secondary Patroness of Municipality of Candelaria, Quezon, hence why the locals celebrate their Candle Festival annually in honor of Our Lady during February 2. She is also the patroness of the Western Visayas region and Tatala, one of the barangays in Binangonan, Rizal (also in the Philippines), which celebrates her feast day every February 2. The Municipality of Silang in the province of Cavite, Philippines, also celebrates her feast day from February 1 to 3, with February 2 being the main feast day. It is also celebrated in the city of Cabadbaran, province of Agusan del Norte Philippines every 2nd of February. They also hold their Dagkot Festival on the same day. In El Salvador in the department of Sonsonate, "La Virgen de Candelaria" is the patroness too. ==Syncretism==

The Virgin of Candelaria is identified or syncretized with other holy entities from other religions: • In Guanche mythology, the Virgin of Candelaria was identified as Chaxiraxi, and her son Chijoraji. • In Cuban Santería, the Virgin of Candelaria is identified with Oyá as well as Oba. • In Brazilian Candomblé, the Virgin of Candelaria is identified with Oshun. • For Andean religions, this dedication is linked to the cult to the Pachamama (Mother Earth). ==Gallery==

Image:Tenerife.candelaria.exterior.basilica.jpg|Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Tenerife Image:Virgendecandelariacamarin01.jpg|Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Virgen de la Candelaria, Tenerife Image:Candelaria BW 3.JPG|Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Tenerife Image:Candelaria BW 4.JPG|Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Tenerife Image:Añaterve cropped.jpg|Statue of the Guanche mencey Añaterve. Candelaria, Tenerife Image:Jaro Cathedral (National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles).jpg|The Jaro Cathedral (National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles) in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines Image:Nuestra.jpg|Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria in Silang, Cavite, Philippines ==See also==