You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 34.227.0.0/16 has been blocked by ‪Blablubbs‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 11:46, 23 November 2025. Your current IP address is 34.227.114.28.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
This IP address range has been globally blocked.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

This block affects editing on all Wikimedia wikis.
The IP address or range 34.227.0.0/16 has been globally blocked by ‪Jon Kolbert‬ for the following reason(s):

Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected

This block will expire on 05:38, 21 February 2029. Your current IP address is 34.227.114.28.

Even while globally blocked, you will usually still be able to edit pages on Meta-Wiki.

If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

Other useful links: Global blocks · Help:I have been blocked

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((short description|Title of the Virgin Mary))
((About|the Marian apparition and its veneration|the church building|Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar))
((Redirect|María del Pilar|the name|Pilar (given name)))
((Use dmy dates|date=October 2016))
((Infobox Catholic apparition
|name= Our Lady of the Pillar
|image= File:Escultura de la Virgen del Pilar, en la Basílica del Pilar de Zaragoza, España, Spain.jpg
|caption= The image of Our Lady of the Pillar wearing her canonical crown
|size=290px
|location= Zaragoza, Spain
|date= 12 October AD 40 (traditional)<ref>accepted as canonical by the [[Sacred Congregation of Rites]] on 7 August 1723.</ref>
|type=Marian Apparition
|approval= [[Pope Callixtus III]] (1456) <br>[[Pope Innocent XIII]] (1723)<br/>[[Pope Pius X]] (1905)
|venerated_in = [[Catholic Church]]
|shrine= Basilica of Our Lady of the Pilar, Zaragoza, Spain
|feast= 12 October
|novena=
|attributes=The Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the [[Child Jesus]] atop a Pillar, surrounded by two or more angels
|witness = [[James the Greater|Apostle James the Greater]] 
|patronage= [[Zaragoza, Spain]], [[Spanish Civil Guard]], [[Melo, Uruguay]], [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina, [[Diocese of Imus|Diocese of Imus, Cavite]], [[Zamboanga City]], [[Santa Cruz, Manila]], [[Alaminos, Laguna]], [[San Simon, Pampanga]], [[Libmanan, Camarines Sur]], [[Pilar, Bataan|Pilar]] and [[Morong, Bataan|Morong]] in [[Bataan]], [[Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro]], [[Sibonga, Cebu]], [[Baleno, Masbate]], [[Cauayan, Isabela]], [[Hispanic people]] and the [[Hispanidad|Hispanic world]].<ref name="Curtis 2004 232">((cite book|title=Fodor's Spain|first=William |last=Curtis|year=2004| isbn=9781400012701| page =232|publisher=University of Michigan Press|quote=the Virgen del Pilar, the patron saint not only of peninsular Spain but of the entire Hispanic world.))</ref>
))
'''Our Lady of the Pillar''' (((lang-es|Nuestra Señora del Pilar))) is the name given to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in [[Jerusalem]], supernaturally appeared to the Apostle [[James the Greater]] in [[AD 40]] while he was preaching in what is now [[Spain]]. Those who adhere to this belief consider this appearance to be the only recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of [[bilocation]].<ref name=aleteia>((cite web|url=https://aleteia.org/2017/10/12/did-you-know-the-1st-apparition-of-the-blessed-mother-was-an-act-of-bilocation/|title=Did you know the 1st apparition of the Blessed Mother was an act of bilocation?|first=Larry|last=Peterson|date=2017-10-12|website=[[Aleteia]]|access-date=2019-05-30))</ref> Among [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], it is also considered the first [[Marian apparition]], and unique because it happened while Mary was still living on Earth.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/nuestra-senora-del-pilar-our-lady-of-the-pillar-622|title=Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar)|website=[[Catholic News Agency]]|access-date=2019-05-30|quote=Unlike every other recorded apparition, this one took place during the earthly life of the Mother of God.))</ref>

This title is also associated with a wooden image commemorating the apparition, which is now enshrined at the [[Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]] in [[Zaragoza]], [[Aragon]], [[Spain]]. [[Pope Callixtus III]] granted [[indulgence]]s for visitors to the shrine in 1456.  [[Pope Innocent XIII]] in 1730 mandated her veneration throughout the [[Spanish Empire]]. On 20 May 1905, [[Pope Pius X]] granted the image a [[canonical coronation]].

Our Lady of the Pillar is considered the Patroness of [[Aragon]] and its capital [[Zaragoza]], [[Hispanic people]], the [[Hispanidad|Hispanic world]],<ref name="Curtis 2004 232">((cite book|title=Fodor's Spain|first=William |last=Curtis|year=2004| isbn=9781400012701| page =232|publisher=University of Michigan Press|quote=the Virgen del Pilar, the patron saint not only of peninsular Spain but of the entire Hispanic world.))</ref> and of the [[Spanish Civil Guard]]. Her [[Fiestas del Pilar|feast day]] is 12 October, which coincides with the [[National Day of Spain]].

==History==

===Early tradition===
((further|Marian column))
[[File:Aparición de la Virgen del Pilar a Santiago y a sus discípulos zaragozanos.jpg|thumb|left|''Apparition of the Virgin of the Pillar to Saint James and his Saragossan disciples'' by [[Francisco Goya]], c. 1769]]
[[File:La_Virgen_del_Pilar_(Bayeu).jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Our Lady of the Pillar'' by [[Ramón Bayeu]], 1780]]

[[Catholic Church|Catholic]] tradition holds that, in the early days of Christianity, the [[Apostles of Jesus]] spread the Gospel throughout the known world, with [[James the Greater]] [[evangelization|evangelizing]] in [[Roman Hispania]] (modern-day [[Spain]]). He confronted great difficulties in his missionary efforts and faced severe discouragement. In [[AD 40]], while he was praying by the banks of the [[Ebro]] at [[Caesaraugusta]] (Zaragoza), Mary [[bilocation|bilocated]] from [[Jerusalem]], where she was living at the time, and appeared to James, accompanied by thousands of [[angel]]s, to console and encourage him.<ref name=aleteia />

Some of the earliest archaeological evidence of Marian devotion in [[Zaragoza]] is found in Christian tombs dating from Roman days, which appear to bear images representing the [[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin]]. In the 4th century, the presence of [[votive column|votive images placed on columns or pillars]] is attested.<ref>Nogués y Secall (1862), [https://archive.org/stream/historiacritica00secagoog#page/n54/mode/2up p. 30].</ref> The oldest written testimony of devotion to the Blessed Virgin in Zaragoza is usually identified as that of Pedro Librana in 1155.<ref name=encyclopedia>March, J.M. (1911). [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083b.htm "Nuestra Señora Del Pilar" from ''New Advent: The Catholic Encyclopedia'']. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref> There is evidence that the site attracted pilgrims from across the Iberian Peninsula during the 13th century, e.g. reflected in the work ''Milagros de Nuestra Señora'' by [[Gonzalo de Berceo]], dated to the 1250s or early 1260s. The appellation ''Santa María del Pilar'' is attested for 1299. The claim that the first church had been the oldest in Hispania, built in AD 40 by [[James the Greater]], is first recorded in 1318.<ref>Lasagabáster Arratíbel (1999), p. 84.</ref>

A book by Michael O'Neil (2015) called '''''Exploring  the Miraculous''''' indicates that there are various traditions about earliest approvals by the church of this Marian apparition. From his book:

"For example, one of the great pilgrimage sites in Spain, Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, originating in a miracle and housing an ancient jasper Marian image on a column, did not always recognize Our Lady under this title. According to the legend relating to the apostle St. James the Greater and his travels in Spain, on January 2 in the year 40, he was disheartened with his lack of success in proclaiming the gospel in Caesaraugusta (present-day Zaragoza) by the river Ebro, when he saw Mary (still alive at the time) miraculously appear on a pillar, comforting him and calling him to return to Jerusalem. The first written mention of the Virgin of Zaragoza comes from a bishop in the middle of the twelfth century, and Zaragoza’s co-cathedral’s name did not originally include a reference to El Pilar, being called Santa Maria Mayor. In 1296, Pope Boniface VIII conferred an indulgence on pilgrims visiting this shrine but still without mention of Our Lady of the Pillar. One of the legal councils of Zaragoza first wrote about Our Lady under this title in 1299, promising safety and privileges to pilgrims who came to visit the shrine. In 1456, Pope Calixtus III issued a bull encouraging pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Pillar and confirming the name and the miraculous origin. So, despite the lack of early extant texts about the miracle story and the name of this devotion, the enduring tradition delivers the story to us today." 

In other interpretations, the tradition of the [[Marian apparition]] can be traced to the 15th century: In either 1434 or 1435, a fire destroyed the alabaster altarpiece. The replacement altarpiece features bas-relief representations of the Marian apparition. The image of the Virgen del Pilar venerated today also dates to this period. It executed in the late Gothic style of [[Juan de la Huerta]].<ref>Mª Carmen Lacarra, Apud Arturo Ansón Navarro y Belén Boloqui Larraya, «Zaragoza Barroca», en Guillermo Fatás Cabeza, (coord.) Guía histórico-artística de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Ayuntamiento (Servicio de acción cultural), 1991, pág. 310. ((ISBN|84-86807-76-X)).</ref>

[[Pope Calixtus III]] in a bull issued on 23 September 1456 declares a seven-year [[indulgence]] for those who visit Our Lady of Saragossa. The text of the bull specifically mentions a pillar, for the first time suggesting the existence of an image known as ''Our Lady of the Pillar''.<ref>Nogués y Secall (1862), [https://archive.org/stream/historiacritica00secagoog#page/n88/mode/1up p. 64], c.f.  De Plancy (1852), p. 262.</ref>
The feast day of 12 October was officially introduced by the Council of Zaragoza in 1640.<ref>Nogués y Secall (1862), [https://archive.org/stream/historiacritica00secagoog#page/n92/mode/2up 68].</ref>

According to the account by [[María de Ágreda]] (d. 1665) in her ''[[Mystical City of God]]'', Mary, mother of Jesus, was transported from Jerusalem to Hispania during the night, on a cloud carried by angels. During the journey, the angels also built a pillar of marble, and a miniature image of Mary with the Child Jesus.<ref>Fr. Tommy Lane [http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/pilgrimage/zaragoza_el_pilar.htm Homily during a pilgrimage to Zaragoza, Spain] (undated, frtommylane.com)((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))<!--needs direct citation of ''Mystical City of God''-->
</ref>

===Approval===
[[File:Virgen_del_Pilar_(Goya).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The work represents the Virgen del Pilar, patroness of Spain.]]

The [[Marian apparition|apparition]] of Our Lady of the Pillar was accepted as canonical by [[Pope Innocent XIII]] in 1723. So many contradictions((clarify|date=October 2017)) had arisen concerning the miraculous origin of the church that Spain appealed to Innocent XIII to settle the controversy. After careful investigation, the twelve [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]], in whose hands the affair rested, adopted the following account, which was approved by the [[Sacred Congregation of Rites]] on 7 August 1723, and later inserted in the lessons of the office of the feast of our Lady of the Pillar, celebrated on 12 October:<ref>De Plancy 1852, pg. 261</ref>

[[File:Pilar_Santa_Capilla_12.JPG|thumb|right|350px|Holy Chapel of the Pilar of Zaragoza. Altar with the ''Coming of the Virgin'' by '[[José Ramírez de Arellano]].]]

((blockquote|Of all the places that Spain offers for the veneration of the devout, the most illustrious is doubtless the sanctuary consecrated to God under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, under the title of our Lady of the Pillar, at Saragossa.

According to ancient and pious tradition, St. James the Greater, led by Providence into Spain, spent some time at Saragossa. He there received a signal favour from the Blessed Virgin. As he was praying with his disciples one night, upon the banks of the Ebro, as the same tradition informs us, the Mother of God, who still lived, appeared to him, and commanded him to erect an oratory in that place.  The apostle delayed not to obey this injunction, and with the assistance of his disciples soon constructed a small chapel. In the course of time a larger church was built and dedicated, which, with the dedication of [[La Seo Cathedral|Saint Saviour's]], is kept as a festival in the city and [[Diocese of Saragossa]] on the 4th of October.))

James returned to Jerusalem with some of his disciples where he became a [[martyr]], beheaded in AD&nbsp;44 during the reign of [[Herod Agrippa]].<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm Camerlynck, Achille. "St. James the Greater." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 January 2016</ref> His disciples allegedly returned his body to Spain.<ref>De Plancy 1852, pg. 263</ref> The year AD 40 is the earliest recognised Marian apparition in the Catholic Church,  dating to a time when Mary, the mother of Jesus, was still alive.<ref>[https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=622 "Nuestra Señora del Pilar", Catholic News Agency, October 12, 2017]. According to [[Hyppolitus of Thebes]], Mary lived for 11 years after the death of Jesus, dying in AD 41. ((cite book|title = Paul's early period: chronology, mission strategy, theology| author = Rainer Riesner| author-link = Rainer Riesner| year = 1998| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans| isbn = 9780802841667| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7mAqa7PYr4kC&q=Hippolytus+of+Thebes&pg=PA120| access-date = August 20, 2011)). See also [[Dormition of the Mother of God]].</ref> 
 
[[Pope Clement XII]] allowed the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar all over the [[Spanish Empire]] in 1730.  Since the feast day (12 October) coincides with the discovery of the [[Americas]] (12 October 1492), Mary was later named as Patroness of the Hispanic World under this title.<ref name=Custodia>(2011-10-12). [http://custodia.org/default.asp?id=779&id_n=16330 "At the centre of Marian faith: Spain’s National Holiday and the Feast of the Virgin of Pilar"]. Custodia Terræ Sanctæ. Retrieved on 25 February 2013.</ref>

==Image==
===Zaragoza===
((further|Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar))
[[File:Basílica del Pilar - P8115832.jpg|thumb|left|View of the basilica as seen across the River Ebro, looking west, with the [[Puente de Piedra (Zaragoza)|Puente de Piedra]] in the foreground]]
A fire in 1434 burned down the church that preceded the present basilica.
The construction of the present [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]], Zaragoza was started in 1681 and ended in 1711. 
<!-- Later additions in the 18th century expanded its dimensions to the present ((convert|130|m)) in length, by ((convert|67|m)) in width, crowned by eleven [[cupola]]s, four towers, and ten lantern towers.<ref name=pasapues>Javier Mendívil, [http://www.pasapues.es/english/aragonesasi/zaragoza/zaragoza/basilicapilar.php "The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Saragossa, Spain"]. Retrieved on 25 February 2013.</ref> The cathedral was elevated to [[minor basilica]] status during the reign of [[Pope Pius XII]] in the 1950s.<ref name=apparitions>[http://www.apparitions-of-our-lady.com/our-lady-of-pilar.html "Our Lady of Pilar – Spain"]. Apparitions-of-our-Lady.com. Retrieved on 25 February 2013. ((webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031033659/http://www.apparitions-of-our-lady.com/our-lady-of-pilar.html |date=31 October 2012 ))</ref>

During the [[Spanish Civil War]], two bombs hit and damaged the basilica but neither exploded.  The event was reckoned a miracle, and the defused bombs have been on display at the basilica premises ever since.<ref name=MaryPage/>
-->
[[File:Virgen del Pilar sin manto.JPG|thumb|The wooden image and pillar without the mantle (photograph taken on 2 April 2011; the image is displayed without mantle on the 2nd, 12th and 20th day of each month).]]
The wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is in the [[International Gothic|Late Gothic]] style. It stands ((convert|39|cm|inch)) tall, on a pillar of [[jasper]] with a height of ((convert|1.8|m|ft)).
The statue depicts [[Madonna and Child|Mary with the Child Jesus]] on her left arm, who has a [[dove]] sitting on his left palm.

Some reports state that an earlier wooden image was destroyed when the church burned down in 1434,<ref name=Samaha>John M. Samaha, “[https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/o/our-lady-of-the-pillar.php Our Lady of the Pillar],” ''All About Mary''. International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton.</ref> consistent with an attribution of the current image to [[Juan de la Huerta]] (d. 1462) or his school.<ref>Carmen Lacarra, in: Arturo Ansón Navarro, Belén Boloqui Larraya, ''Zaragoza Barroca'', Guillermo Fatás Cabeza, (ed.) ''Guía histórico-artística de Zaragoza'', Zaragoza, Ayuntamiento (Servicio de acción cultural) (1991), p. 310.</ref>

It appears that folk belief in some cases may be inclined to regard the Saragossa image as [[Acheiropoieta|miraculous]], sculptured by the angels as they transported Mary from Jerusalem to Saragossa (Zaragoza); this mystical tradition goes back to [[María de Ágreda]] (d. 1665),  herself the object of frequent "mystical bilocation" (i.e. she reported that she was often "transported by the aid of the angels" ), who gave an account to this effect in her ''[[Mystical City of God]]''; however, unlike the tradition of the Marian apparition itself, the miraculous origin of the image is not part of the tradition recognized by the Holy See as canonical.

Since the 16th century, the pillar is usually draped in a skirt-like cover called ''manto'' "mantle".<ref name=Samaha/>
As a whole, it is protected by a bronze case and then another case of silver.<ref name=pasapues>Javier Mendívil, [http://www.pasapues.es/english/aragonesasi/zaragoza/zaragoza/basilicapilar.php "The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Saragossa, Spain"] (pasapues.es). Retrieved on 25 February 2013.((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref>
The image was [[Canonical Coronation|canonically crowned]] in 1905 during the reign of [[Pope Pius X]].  The crown was designed by the Marquis of Griñi, valued at 450,000 [[Spanish peseta|pesetas]] (c. [[USD]] 2.6 million as of 2017).<ref>based on the value "£18,750" given by March (1911), historical conversion rate from [http://inflation.stephenmorley.org/ stephenmorley.org]; about USD 5.3 million based on the historical [[gold standard]] of the peseta.</ref>

===Other depictions===
''Our Lady of the Pillar'' is a common motif of the [[Madonna and Child]] in Spanish art; extant examples other than the Saragossa image date from the Renaissance period onward. Depictions become especially numerous following the introduction of the feast day throughout the Spanish Empire in 1730.

<gallery class="center">
File:Retablo de la capilla de la Virgen del Pilar, Catedral de Albarracín - 03.jpg|Statue of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' by Cosme Damián Bas (c. 1570), part of the main altarpiece of [[Albarracín Cathedral]]
File:Ayerbe m.r. Virgen del Pilar.jpg|Baroque-era statue of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'', by  "Esteban Pérez de Anies", dated 1642
File:Venida de la Virgen del Pilar (Ximenez de Maza).jpg|Painting of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'', by Francisco Jiménez Maza (1655)
File:Buenos Aires iglesia del Pilar imagen titular lou.jpg|Statue of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'', part of the main altarpiece of the [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Buenos Aires)|Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar]] in [[Buenos Aires]] (1732)
File:Fort Pilar Shrine el Altar.JPG|The shrine of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' in [[Fort Pilar]] [[Zamboanga City]], Philippines (1734).
File:Virgen del Pilar, Hospital de Pobres y Peregrinos (Tuy).jpg|Sculpture of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' (1752) above the entrance to the ''Hospital de Pobres y Peregrinos '' in [[Tui, Pontevedra]]
File:El apóstol Santiago y sus discípulos adorando a la Virgen del Pilar.jpg|St. James and his disciples venerating ''Our Lady of the Pillar'', painting by [[Goya]] (c.  1775&ndash;1780).
File:Venida_de_la_Virgen_del_Pilar_(Pablo_Serrano).jpg|Zaragoza - the Pillar - Relief of the Virgin of Pablo Serrano.
Image:Monumento a Colón (Madrid) 03.jpg|Relief of ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' on the monument to [[Christopher Columbus]] in Columbus Square ([[Madrid]], Spain), completed in 1885.
File:SAAM-1996.91.8 1.jpg|La Virgen del pilar (Late 18th century), Puerto Rico.
</gallery>

==Feast day==
((main|Fiestas del Pilar))
((further|Columbus Day|Fiesta Nacional de España))
[[File:Retablo_mayor_de_la_Basílica_del_Pilar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Altarpiece of the Assumption of the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar de Zaragoza (Spain)]]
[[File:Zaragoza_-_Ofrenda_de_flores.jpg|thumb|Floral offering to Our Lady of the Pillar]]
The [[fiesta patronal|feast]] of Our Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on 12 October<ref>[http://www.marianist.com/files/2011/10/World-Day-of-Prayer-2011_En.pdf "Our Lady of the Pillar", Marianists, 9 October 2011]((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref> and she is the Patroness of the [[Hispanic]] peoples and the [[Civil Guard (Spain)|Spanish Civil Guard]].  A grand nine-day festival known as ''[[Fiestas del Pilar]]'' is celebrated in Saragossa (Zaragoza) every year in her honour. The modern ''Fiestas del Pilar'', as they developed since the 19th century, begin on the weekend preceding 12 October and they end on the Sunday after 12 October (i.e. they move between 5&ndash;13 and 11&ndash;19 October). They were declared as a "national holiday of touristic interest" (''Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional'') by the ''[[Government of Spain|Ministerio de Comercio y Turismo]]'' in 1980.

As 12 October coincides with the day of the year 1492 when [[Guanahani|land]] was first sighted on [[Columbus's First Voyage]], 
the ''[[Fiesta de la Raza Española]]'', first proposed in 1913 by [[Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro y Díaz-Argüelles]] to fall on the same date. In the United States, this was later called "[[Columbus Day]]", as Columbus tends to be more associated with Italy and Italian-Americans, rather than the Spanish and Latin America in the U.S. 
The ''Fiesta de la Raza Española'' was declared the national holiday of Spain in a decree by [[Antonio Maura]] and [[Alfonso XIII of Spain|king Alfonso XIII]]
of 1918. The alternative name ''Día de la Hispanidad'' was proposed in the late 1920s by [[Ramiro de Maeztu]], based on a suggestion by Zacarías de Vizcarra.
After the [[Spanish Civil War|Civil War]], on 12 October 1939, the ''Día de la Raza'' was celebrated in Saragossa (Zaragoza), presided by [[Francisco Franco]], with a special devotion to the ''Virgen del Pilar''. Chilean foreign vice-secretary Germán Vergara Donoso commented that the "profound significance of the celebration was the intimate inter-penetration of the homage to the Race and the devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar, i.e. the symbol of the ever more extensive union between America and Spain."<ref>«Las fiestas de la Hispanidad han tenido en Zaragoza un escenario incomparable. (...) El significado profundo de las fiestas fue la compenetración íntima del homenaje a la Raza y la devoción de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, es decir, el símbolo de la unión cada vez más estrecha de América y España.» Gustavo Bueno Sánchez, [«Día de la Hispanidad»http://www.filosofia.org/ave/001/a224.htm (filosofia.org)]</ref>
The name of ''Día de la Hispanidad'' was introduced as the official name of the national holiday in a decree of 9 January 1958.
During the [[Spanish transition to democracy|transition to democracy]], there was a proposal to shift the national day to 6 December, the day of adoption of the [[Spanish Constitution of 1978|Constitution]], but in the end, in a decree of 1982, the day of 12 October was retained, under the name of  ''Fiesta Nacional de España y Día de la Hispanidad''.<ref>Real Decreto 3217/1981, Boletín Oficial del Estado del año 1982.
César Cervera, [http://www.abc.es/espana/20141012/abci-hispanidad-coincide-pilar-201410071354.html ¿Por qué coincide la Fiesta Nacional de España con la Virgen del Pilar?], ''[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]'', 12 October 2014.</ref> In 1987, the name was reduced to just ''Día de la Fiesta Nacional de España''.<ref>"Ley 18/1987" (BOE 241/1987, p. 30149).</ref>

==Veneration of Our Lady of the Pillar around the world==
((more citations needed|section|date=October 2018))
((Roman Catholic Mariology))
[[Pilar (given name)|Pilar]], short for Maria del Pilar, is a common Spanish given name, with [[name day]] on the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar.

===Caribbean===

* Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Pilar, [[Río Piedras]], Puerto Rico, United States
* Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar, [[Havana]], Cuba

===South America===
* [[Cathedral of Melo|Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar and St. Raphael]] in [[Melo, Uruguay]]
* Nuestra Señora del Pilar, [[Recoleta, Buenos Aires|Recoleta]] neighbourhood, [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
* Nuestra Señora del Pilar, [[Pilar, Buenos Aires]] Province, Argentina
* [[Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei|Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar]], [[São João del-Rei]], [[Brazil]]

===Philippines===
In the [[Philippines]], ruled by Spain for over three hundred years, Our Lady of the Pillar is honored as the [[patroness]] of a number of [[parish]]es and [[Municipalities of the Philippines|municipalities]]; seven are named ''Pilar'' in her honor.  There are towns named Pilar in the [[Provinces of the Philippines|provinces]] of [[Abra (province)|Abra]], [[Bataan]], [[Bohol]], [[Capiz]], [[Cebu]], [[Surigao del Norte]] and [[Sorsogon]].  As in Spain, her [[fiesta patronal|feast day]] is celebrated every 12 October.
* In [[Zamboanga City]], the Virgin of the Pillar has been venerated for almost four centuries as the patroness of the city and in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga|Archdiocese of Zamboanga]]. The [[bas relief]] of her atop the eastern gate of the 17th-century Spanish military [[fort]] dedicated to the Virgin, [[Fort Pilar]] (Full name: Royal Fort of our Virgin Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza, ''El Fuerte Real de Nuestra Señora Virgen del Pilar de Zaragoza''), is now a [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Marian]] shrine. The city also has a street named after her – Pilar Street.<ref>[http://www.zamboanga.com/html/history_zamboanga.htm "History of Zamboanga"]. Zamboanga, the city of flowers.((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref>
* In [[Davao City]], a shrine in honor of ''Nuestra Señora del Pilar'' in Magsaysay Park was built through the collaborative efforts of Circulo Zamboangueño de Davao, a local group of transposed from Zamboanga City.<ref>Maranga, Mark Anthony (15 August 2010). [http://www.markmaranga.com/magsaysay-park-in-davao-city/ "Magsaysay Park in Davao City"]. Philippines Travel Guide. Retrieved on 2011-07-18.((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref><ref>[http://davaocityliving.com/blog/maps/ramon-magsaysay-park/ "Magsaysay Park Map"] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023101948/http://davaocityliving.com/blog/maps/ramon-magsaysay-park/ |date=23 October 2011 )). Davao City Living. Retrieved on 18 July 2011.((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref>
* ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' is also the patroness of [[Santa Cruz, Manila|Santa Cruz]] parish church in the district of the same name, in the city of [[Manila]].  The [[Jesuits]] brought the patroness when they administered the church during the Spanish era.  Her [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] is also celebrated every 12 October in the district. However, the church has its Marian procession in the 3rd week of October.<ref>[http://www.rcam.org/parishes/page_detail_parishes/S/santa_cruz.htm "Santa Cruz Parish"] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165249/http://www.rcam.org/parishes/page_detail_parishes/S/santa_cruz.htm |date=27 September 2011 )). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila Website. Retrieved on 18 July 2011.((unreliable source?|date=November 2017))</ref> The image was canonically crowned on 7 December 2017.<ref>((Cite news|url=http://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/100810-2/|title=Canonical Coronation of Nuestra Señora del Pilar ((!)) CBCPNews|work=CBCPNews|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en-us))</ref>
* ''Our Lady of the Pillar'' is the patroness of [[Imus]], [[Cavite]] and the [[Diocese of Imus]] enshrined at the [[Imus Cathedral]] in [[Cavite]]. The city celebrates its [[fiesta patronal|fiesta]] every October with the ''Karakol'', a ritual dance-procession performed in fiestas around the province of [[Cavite]]. The image was canonically crowned on 3 December 2012. 
* Our Lady of the Pillar is also the patroness, with 12 October as the feast day, in the following places:
**City of [[Cauayan, Isabela]].
**Town of [[Morong, Bataan]].
**Don Rufino Alonzo Sr. Street [[Cotabato City]] Maguindanao.
**Town of [[Baleno, Masbate]].
**Town of [[Pilar, Bataan]].
**Town of [[Pilar, Bohol]].
**Town of [[Pilar, Capiz]] 
**Town of [[Pilar, Sorsogon]].
**Town of [[San Simon, Pampanga]]. 
**Town of [[Sibonga, Cebu]].
** Town of [[Alaminos, Laguna|Alaminos]], [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]].
**Town of [[Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro|Mamburao]], [[Occidental Mindoro]].
**Town & Diocese of [[Libmanan]], [[Camarines Sur]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Kalubkob, [[Silang, Cavite]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Guinsay, [[Danao, Cebu]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] New Guinlo, [[Taytay, Palawan]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Del Pilar, [[Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Lumbangan, [[Nasugbu, Batangas]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Indangan, [[Makilala, Cotabato]]
**[[Barangay|Brgy.]] Maao, [[Bago, Negros Occidental]]

==References==
((Reflist|2|refs=Exploring the Miraculous (2015) Michael O’Neill Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, Indiana 46750))

*[[Jacques Collin de Plancy|De Plancy, J. Collin]] (1852), "Legends of the Blessed Virgin", London, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CQkCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA261 261&ndash;267].
*Lasagabáster Arratíbel, Daniel (1999), ''Historia de la Santa Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Pilar'', Zaragoza (Reyes de Aragón, 5), ((ISBN|84-605-8648-0)).
*Nogués y Secall, Mariano  (1862). ''[[:wikisource:es:Historia, crítica y apologética de la Virgen nuestra señora del Pilar de Zaragoza|Historia crítica y apologética de la Virgen nuestra señora del Pilar de Zaragoza y de su templo y tabernáculo desde el siglo I hasta nuestros días]]'', Madrid, Alejandro Gómez Fuentenebro.
*O'Neill, Michael '''''Exploring the Miraculous''''' (2015) Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, Indiana 46750, ((ISBN|978-1-61278-779-4)) (Inventory No. T1585)

==External links==
((commons category|Our Lady of the Pillar))
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120111023130/http://www.arzobispadodezaragoza.org/home.htm Archdiocese of Zaragoza Official Website (in Spanish)]
*[https://udayton.edu/imri/index.php International Marian Research Institute] at the University of Dayton. The institute, a leading center for research and scholarship on the Blessed Virgin Mary, has a vast presence in cyberspace.
*[https://www.udayton.edu/marianlibrary/ Marian Library] at the University of Dayton. The Marian Library is the world's largest repository of books, periodicals, artwork, and artifacts on Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

((Apparitions approved by the Catholic Church))
((Virgin Mary))

[[Category:Titles of Mary|Our Lady of the Pillar]]
[[Category:Catholic Mariology|Pillar]]
[[Category:Marian apparitions|Pillar]]
[[Category:Marian feast days|Pillar]]
[[Category:History of Catholicism in Spain]]
[[Category:Catholic holy days]]
[[Category:Statues of the Madonna and Child]]
[[Category:Marian devotions]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

María del Pilar (edit)
Our Lady of the Pillar (edit)
Template:About (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Apparitions approved by the Catholic Church (edit)
Template:Blockquote (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Blockquote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Catholic Mariology sidebar (edit)
Template:Circa (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Clarify (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Commons category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:DMCA (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (articles) (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:FULLROOTPAGENAME (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix-span (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:Further (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:ISBN (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox Catholic apparition (edit)
Template:Lang-es (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Nbsp (view source) (protected)
Template:Nowrap (view source) (protected)
Template:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Plainlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Portal-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Redirect (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Replace (view source) (protected)
Template:Roman Catholic Mariology (edit)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Side box (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sister project (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Small (view source) (protected)
Template:Sp (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Spaces (view source) (protected)
Template:Template other (view source) (protected)
Template:Trim (view source) (protected)
Template:Unreliable source? (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Use dmy dates (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Virgin Mary (edit)
Template:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno (view source) (protected)
Template:Yesno-no (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno-yes (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:About (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Check isxn (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:DecodeEncode (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:InfoboxImage (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Labelled list hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/ISO 639 synonyms (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana languages (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana regions (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana suppressed scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana variants (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/rfd (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:Portal (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/images/aliases (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/images/c (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Redirect hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:Side box (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Side box/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:Unicode data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Webarchive/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB/nolinks (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB/titleformats (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Our Lady of the Pillar.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Pillar"