The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Coromoto ( es, Basílica Menor Santuario Nacional Nuestra Señora de Coromoto) is a minor Basilica and National Shrine dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Coromoto, patroness of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

is 25 kilometers from the city of

Guanare Guanare () is the capital and most populated city of Portuguesa State, Venezuela. It is where la Virgen de Coromoto is said to have appeared to a Coromoto Indian. Guanare was founded on 3 November 1591 by João Fernandes de Leão Pacheco (15 ...

, Portuguesa,

. Today its pastor is the priest Allender Hernández. The shrine is built on the site where the faithful believe the Virgin appeared to the Native American chief Coromoto. The construction project was prepared in 1975 by exiled Spanish architect Juan Capdevila Elías and Venezuelan architect Erasmo Calvani, but it was not until early 1980 when work began. The work was interrupted several times, so it was in February 1996 when it finally could be consecrated by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, in the presence of more than two million devotees awaiting the consecration of the temple. On October 20, 2007, it was elevated by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

to the dignity of

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Coromoto, Church Our Lady of Coromoto Buildings and structures in Portuguesa (state) Roman Catholic churches completed in 1996 Roman Catholic shrines in Venezuela 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Venezuela

See also

References