14°4′49.66″N 87°9′27.51″W / 14.0804611°N 87.1576417°W
Virgin of Suyapa | |
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| Our Lady of Suyapa, Patroness of Honduras | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Major shrine | Basilica of the Virgin of Suyapa, Honduras |
| Feast | February 3 |
| Patronage | Honduras, Central America, Orden de los Caballeros de Suyapa |
Our Lady of Suyapa (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Suyapa), also known as the Virgin of Suyapa (Spanish: Virgen de Suyapa), is a title of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. An 18th-century cedar wood statue (6 cm/2.3 in) of the Virgin is perhaps Honduras' most popular religious image, and the focus of an extensive pilgrimage.[1]
The statue is kept in the Basílica de Suyapa in Suyapa, a suburb of the capital Tegucigalpa, and toured through various other parts of Honduras each year in early February. Many thousands of people from all over Central America make pilgrimages to visit the statue on her name day, February 3, a commemoration of the day she was found in 1747.[2] The statue has been stolen and then recovered on two occasions.[1] Our Lady of Suyapa is the Patroness of Honduras.
- ^ a b Malkin, Elizabeth (October 18, 2009). "Amid a Crisis, Hondurans Heap Large Hopes on a Tiny Religious Icon". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ La Virgen of Suyapa -- exploring a modern Honduran myth Accessed on 22 August, 2018, published on 27 November, 2000 by marrder.com, editorial Honduras this Week, author Billy Weiss