Virgin de la Almudena - Catedral de la Almudena

The Virgin of Almudena (''Virgen de la Almudena'') is a medieval statue of 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 ...

, mother of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. The image is regarded as a patroness of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain. The Cathedral of Madrid is dedicated to this title of the Virgin, and her feast day, 9 November, is a major holiday in Madrid. There are replicas that are used in processions, as well as more recent versions of the statue at various places. Despite various legends as to her origin, art historians attribute the statue now in the cathedral to the

Netherlandish The Low Countries comprise the coastal Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta region in Western Europe, whose definition usually includes the modern countries of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both Belgium and the Netherlands derived their ...

sculptor, Diego Copín de Holanda, who worked in Spain, around 1500. Its name derives from the Arabic term of ''Al Mudayna'', or the citadel.

Legends

There are various legends regarding the icon. One story is that in 712, prior to the capture of the town by advancing Muslim forces, the inhabitants of the town sealed the image of the Virgin inside the walls surrounding the town for its own protection. In the 11th century, when Madrid was reconquered by King

Alfonso VI of Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, the Christian soldiers endeavored to find the statue. After days of prayer, the spot on the wall hiding the icon crumbled, revealing the statue. Another legend is that as Christian soldiers approached the town, they had a vision of Mary imploring them to allow her to lead them into the city. Again, the miraculous crumbling of the wall occurred, with the icon showing an entry route through the walls.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline, Our Lady of La Almudena Almudena Marian apparitions Catholic devotions Titles of Mary Catholic Mariology Almudena Almudena Religion in Madrid