Our Lady of Navigators also known as Our Lady of Seafarers (''Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes'' in Portuguese) is a devotional title given to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

s. It is a widespread devotion in South America, especially in Brazil, where her holy day is celebrated on 2 February, it is an official holiday on the city of

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

. Several churches in Brazil are dedicated to Our Lady of Navigators.

History

The devotion started in the fifteenth century by Europeans, especially the Portuguese navigators, praying for a safe return to their homes. They saw the Virgin Mary as their protector during storms and other hazards. The first statue in South America was brought from Portugal to Brazil. In Brazil, the ''Procissão no Mar'', a religious procession where the image of the Virgin Mary is carried take place in most coastal cities that have harbors, specially the large ones. The theme of the "Virgin Mary as the protector" was similarly used in ''

The Virgin of the Navigators ''The Virgin of the Navigators'' ( es, La Virgen de los Navegantes) is a painting by Spanish artist Alejo Fernández, created as the central panel of an altarpiece for the chapel of the Casa de Contratación in Alcázar of Seville, Seville, sout ...

'', painted sometime between 1531 and 1536 by

Alejo Fernández Alejo Fernández (c. 1475 – c. 1545) was a Spanish painter best known for his portrait of Christopher Columbus painted between 1531 and 1536. Biography He was born in Córdoba. Here, influenced by the style of the Flemish masters, he stud ...

. Depicting Mary and Spanish monarchs and explorers, this is the earliest known painting whose subject is the discovery of the Americas.Silvio Bedini, 1991 ''The Christopher Columbus encyclopedia'' page 318 It was painted as an altarpiece for, and remains at, a chapel of the Casa de Contratación in

Alcázar of Seville The Royal Alcázars of Seville ( es, Reales Alcázares de Sevilla), historically known as al-Qasr al-Muriq (, ''The Verdant Palace'') and commonly known as the Alcázar of Seville (), is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, built for the Christian ...

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

, Spain. The Brazilian city of Navegantes is named after Our Lady of Navigators.

Gallery of churches

File:IN01.jpg,

, Brazil File:Igreja-Nossa-Senhora-dos-Navegantes-Natal.jpg,

Redinha Redinha beach (Praia da Redinha) is a beach located on the Brazilian capital city Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming th ...

, Natal, Brazil File:Igreja-da-Redinha-Natal.jpg,

, Natal, Brazil

Notes

Sources

Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes

External links

* Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, Ilhavo :pt:Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes * Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes,

Parque das Nações The Parque das Nações (; en, Park of the Nations), colloquially known as Expo (as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition), is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in eastern Lisbon, Parque das Naçõ ...

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Virgin Mary in art Catholic Church in Brazil Catholic devotions {{Brazil-reli-stub

History

Gallery of churches

See also

Notes

Sources

External links