Divina Pastora (Barquisimeto)

Divina Pastora (2014)

Divina Pastora (English title: Divine Shepherdess) is a statue of the Madonna and Child, the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with a lamb at her side. It is considered to be one of the most important religious icons of Venezuela. Divina Pastora is the patron saint of the city of Barquisimeto and of the Venezuelan National Militia. The image dates from 1735. Divina Pastora is celebrated in a procession on January 14 of each year,[1] when a massive Marian procession occurs, considered to be one of the largest in the world, attracting millions of pilgrims.[2]

The statue is removed from its shrine and is carried on the main streets of Barquisimeto in a procession which starts at the Iglesia de la Divina Pastora in Santa Rosa until it reaches the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This procession is unlike those mass Marian celebrations in the world where the image does not leave its temple. This procession occurs due to the devotion the people of Barquisimeto have towards it as gratitude towards saving the city from a cholera outbreak that occurred in the city in the 19th century. In 2016, 4,000,000 faithful honored the Divina Pastora.[3]

Iglesia de la Divina Pastora in Santa Rosa
Barquisimeto Cathedral
  1. ^ Domínguez, Roberto (1990). Pioneros de Pentecostés en el mundo de habla hispana (in Spanish). Editorial Clie. pp. 64–. ISBN 978-84-7645-393-3.
  2. ^ Anselmi, Manuel (2013). Chavez's Children: Ideology, Education, and Society in Latin America. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 113–. ISBN 978-0-7391-6525-6.
  3. ^ "Venezuela: Tres millones de fieles honraron a la Divina Pastora" (in Spanish). Zenit. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2015.