Virgin of La Puerta is a

Marian devotion Marian devotions are external pious practices directed to the person of Mary, mother of God, by members of certain Christian traditions. They are performed in Catholicism, High Church Lutheranism, Anglo-Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Orien ...

of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

whose image has its principal place of worship in a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

built on the site where once stood the gateway to

Otuzco The Otuzco is a city located in the highlands of La Libertad, Peru. It is the capital of the Otuzco Province, and it is well known because there is the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Puerta. It is located at around . Founding The Otuzcans, led ...

, in a high

andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

area located about 75 km northeast of Trujillo city, in La Libertad region.

History

According to chronicles, worship and faith of the people of

to "Virgin of La Puerta" began in the seventeenth century when it was feared a

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

attack to the city of Trujillo, so the nearby villages could be also attacked by pirates in a possible incursion of these to the coastal city. In Otuzco existed a chapel dedicated to

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

Patroness Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of Otuzco in that time. When the news became known that the northern cities

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

and Zaña had been attacked by pirates and believing that Trujillo would be the next city to be attacked, from Trujillo were sent messages to the nearby villages so they could take their preventive measures. Residents of Otuzco placed an image of the Virgin of the Conception in the entrance of the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

as a symbol of prayer and protection of piracy attacks. Miraculously Trujillo was not attacked by pirates dangerous, and since then born worship and faith to ''Virgin of La Puerta'' which spans the north of

Patronal feast

The celebration originated in 1664 when it placed the image of the Virgin at the entrance of Otuzco as precaution of the risk of a pirate raid. The main day is celebrated on December 15 every year and in 2012 the feast of Our Lady of the Gate was declared a National Cultural Heritage by the Peruvian government. From days before the central date hundreds of devout pilgrims make a journey of about 73 km from Trujillo to the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Puerta, located in

References

{{Reflist Titles of Mary

History

Patronal feast

See also

References