39-THE FESTIVAL OF THE VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE

Geoparque Villuercas > CULTURAL SITES > 39-THE FESTIVAL OF THE VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE

8th September is one of the most important dates for the town of Guadalupe. This is the day on which the religious festival of the Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron of Extremadura who in 1928 was awarded the title of Queen of all Spain or La Hispanidad, coincides with the official date of Extremadura Day. This event in the calendar has become a true symbol of regional identity. The religious ritual dates back to 1389 when the church was transformed into a monastery; the date of 8th September was chosen as it was considered the feast day of the Nativity of Mary. As a curious fact it can be mentioned that the perpendicular transept and axis of the Monasterio de Guadalupe face the exact point where the sun rises on 8th September.

The epicentre of the whole celebration is the Romanesque image which according to legend appeared near the River Guadalupe in the 14th century. Tradition also has it that the image was sculpted by St Luke with the very Virgin Mary as his model.

To reach the valleys of Las Villuercas it travelled through Asia Minor, Byzantium, Rome, and then to Seville. From there, given the fear of its desecration during the Islamic invasion, it was transferred and hidden. A collection of major pictorial works in the Mudejar cloister depict this epic.

As the feast day began to acquire importance and fame the monastery became a leading spiritual centre, owing to which some travellers have written: “After those of Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrimages to Guadalupe deserve to rank among the most important of Christendom”.

Bartolomé de Villalba and Estaña Donzel wrote in 1577: “Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most famed institution in the whole of Europe and they come to visit her from all parts of the world”.

Even today a careful ritual is held which is maintained practically as it was in the beginning.
From 31st August to 8th September the monks celebrate a morning and evening novena. On 6th September the Virgin is taken down from her chapel and carried to the Cama de la Mora. On the 7th the pilgrims are received with a mass. Finally on 8th September the Virgin is taken on a procession through the Mudejar cloister and the basilica. To complement the religious celebration various cultural and festive events are carried out such as the letting off of fireworks and the concert given by the Guadalupe Town Band, as it is not for nothing that this is the most important festival of the locality.

But to the religious festival must be added the institutional celebration of Extremadura Day. Since 1985 the day of the autonomous region has been made to coincide with that of the Virgen de Guadalupe as the latter is one of the symbols of the identity of Extremadura. The canonical coronation of the Virgin as Patron of Extremadura in 1907 was one of the first expressions of regionalist exaltation in recent times. During the early years of the commemoration of Extremadura Day the institutional events were held in Guadalupe.