Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar — Attraction in Zaragoza

Tradition dates the origin of the Our Lady of Pilar shrine in Zaragoza, Spain, to the year 40 A.D., when St. James the Apostle was sitting here on the bank of the Ebro River, discouraged and heartsick at his lack of success in bringing Christianity to the region.

The Virgin Mary appeared to him and reassured him that his efforts would not be in vain. She also asked him to consecrate a church in her name, and left behind a pillar of jasper to mark the spot where she had made her appearance.

As Mary promised, St. James was indeed successful in bringing Christianity to Spain, and the place of his encounter with the Virgin became a holy place. Through the centuries—including years when Zaragoza was under Muslim control, when it suffered from plague and famine, and through years of civil war and unrest—this site has continued to draw the faithful.

Holy men and women such as St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Ignatius of Loyola have all made the journey here to show their devotion to Our Lady of Pilar, who is the patroness of Spain.

The most prominent miracle associated with the shrine happened in the seventeenth century to a poor beggar named Miguel Juan Pellicer from the town of Calanda. Unable to work because of an amputated leg, he had a great devotion to the shrine and frequently prayed there for help. The Virgin Mary answered his prayers by restoring his missing leg, and after word spread of the miracle, the number of pilgrims to the church greatly increased.

Multiple church structures have occupied the site, each one larger than the one it replaced. Today the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, as it is formally known, includes 11 brightly colored tiled domes and is the second biggest church in Spain (only the cathedral in Seville is larger). construction was begun in 1681 under the direction of King Charles II.

Parts of its interior date back even farther, including a magnificent main altar of alabaster designed by Damian Forment in the fifteenth century. Two of the frescos that line its domes were painted by Goya, the famous eighteenth-century Spanish artist who was born in the nearby village of Fuendetodos.

Our Lady of Pilar came to international prominence when in 1492 Christopher Columbus landed in the New World on her feast day of October 12. She was subsequently named patroness of the New World.

In the early twentieth century, the shrine also played an important role in the founding of the Opus Dei movement. As a young seminarian in Zaragoza, St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, made daily visits to Our Lady of Pilar to pray for guidance. Opus Dei members continue to honor her feast...

The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon (Spain). The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title, Our Lady of the Pillar praised as "Mother of the Hispanic (Spanish) Peoples" Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain attributing to an apparition to Saint James the Great, the apostle who is believed by tradition to have brought Christianity to the country. This is the only reported apparition of Mary to have occurred before she believed Assumption. The architecture is of Baroque style, and the present building was predominantly built between 1681 and 1872.

According to ancient local tradition, soon after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Saint James was preaching the Gospel in Spain but was disheartened because of the failure of his mission. Tradition holds that on 2 January 40 AD, while he was deep in prayer by the banks of the Ebro, the Mother of God appeared to him and gave a column of jasper and instructed him to build a church in her honour: "This place is to be my house, and this image and column shall be the title and altar of the temple that you shall build." ....Ref: the City of God, The Coronation, Book One, Part III, Book VII, Chapter XVI, Paragraph...

Probably the best Cathedral I have ever visited in the entire world! Punto! The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon. The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Our Lady of the Pillar! Legend has it that she appeared in a vision to early Zaragozans around 40AD and said that she would protect and offer blessings to all those who would pray to her.

The church is just outstanding for its architecture, but more significantly for the powerful energy that it emanates. So many people visit this church to pray to the Virgin Mary. There are masses conducted here every hour and all of them are so well attended.

The statue of Virgin Mary is quite tiny, but is an extraordinary example of how great things come in little packages. The gigantesque cathedral surely is needed to capture her power and the Yin-Yang energy is just brilliant.

Amazing artwork in the form of sculptures and paintings adorns these walls and it is a blessing to be here! I visited this cathedral on both days I was here and was honoured to be blessed by the priest accompanying me on both days! I do hope I will return again very often to pray to Our Lady...