Our Lady of Navigators
Our Lady of Navigators also known as Our Lady of Seafarers (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes in Portuguese) is a devotional title given to the Virgin Mary by Roman Catholics. It is a widespread devotion in South America, especially in Brazil, where her holy day is celebrated on 2 February as an official holiday. Several churches in Brazil are dedicated to Our Lady of Navigators.[1][2]
Our Lady of Navigators | |
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Statue of Our Lady of Navigators at the Our Lady of Navigators church, Porto Alegre, Brazil | |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Feast | 2 February |
Attributes | Blessed Virgin Mary held by angels, Infant Jesus holding an anchor, mantle, jewelry, crown, halo of stars |
Patronage | Navigators, sailors, protection from storms |
History
The devotion started in the fifteenth century by Europeans, especially the Portuguese navigators, praying for a safe return to their homes. They saw the Virgin Mary as their protector during storms and other hazards. The first statue in South America was brought from Portugal to Brazil.
In Brazil, the Procissão no Mar, a religious procession where the image of the Virgin Mary is carried take place in most coastal cities that have harbors, specially the large ones.
The theme of the "Virgin Mary as the protector" was similarly used in The Virgin of the Navigators, 1531–36, the earliest known painting whose subject is the discovery of the Americas.[3][4]
Gallery of churches
- Porto Alegre, Brazil
See also
Notes
Part of a series on the |
Mariology of the Catholic Church |
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Catholicism portal |
- Candice Lee Goucher, 2007 World history: journeys from past to present ISBN 0-415-77137-4 page 102
- Vicente del Rio, 2009 Contemporary urbanism in Brazil ISBN 0-8130-3281-4 page 189
- John Noble, Susan Forsyth, Vesna Maric, Paula Hardy. Andalucía. Lonely Planet, 2007, p. 100
- Silvio Bedini, 1991 The Christopher Columbus encyclopedia ISBN 0-13-142670-2 page 318
Sources
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Our Lady of Navigators. |
- Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, Ilhavo pt:Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, Parque das Nações