Our Lady of Navigators also known as Our Lady of Seafarers (''Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes'' in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

) is a devotional title given to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

s. It is a widespread devotion in South America, especially in Brazil, where her holy day is celebrated on 2 February, it is an official holiday on the city of

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

. Several churches in Brazil are dedicated to Our Lady of Navigators.

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'', painted sometime between 1531 and 1536 by

Alejo Fernández Alejo Fernández (c. 1475 – c. 1545) was a Spanish painter best known for his portrait of Christopher Columbus painted between 1531 and 1536. Biography He was born in Córdoba. Here, influenced by the style of the Flemish masters, he stud ...

. Depicting Mary and Spanish monarchs and explorers, this is the earliest known painting whose subject is the discovery of the Americas.Silvio Bedini, 1991 ''The Christopher Columbus encyclopedia'' page 318 It was painted as an altarpiece for, and remains at, a chapel of the

Casa de Contratación The ''Casa de Contratación'' (, House of Trade) or ''Casa de la Contratación de las Indias'' ("House of Trade of the Indies") was established by the Crown of Castile, in 1503 in the port of Seville (and transferred to Cádiz in 1717) as a cro ...

Alcázar of Seville The Royal Alcázars of Seville ( es, Reales Alcázares de Sevilla), historically known as al-Qasr al-Muriq (, ''The Verdant Palace'') and commonly known as the Alcázar of Seville (), is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, built for the Christian ...

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, Spain. The Brazilian city of

Navegantes Navegantes (, ''Seafarers'') is a coastal and tourist city located in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. The population is 83,626 (2020 est.) in an area of 112.0 km². Ministro Victor Konder International Airport serves the popular bea ...

is named after Our Lady of Navigators.

Gallery of churches

File:IN01.jpg,

, Brazil File:Igreja-Nossa-Senhora-dos-Navegantes-Natal.jpg, Redinha,

Natal, Brazil Natal ( ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in northeastern Brazil. According to IBGE's 2021 estimate, the city had a total population o896,708 making it the 19th largest city in the country. Natal is a ...

File:Igreja-da-Redinha-Natal.jpg, Redinha,

Notes

Sources

Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes

External links

* Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, Ilhavo :pt:Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes * Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes,

Parque das Nações The Parque das Nações (; en, Park of the Nations), colloquially known as Expo (as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition), is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in eastern Lisbon, Parque das Naçõe ...

br>
Virgin Mary in art Catholic Church in Brazil Catholic devotions {{Brazil-reli-stub

History

Gallery of churches

See also

Notes

Sources

External links