Torreciudad is a Marian
shrine
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
in
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
, Spain, built by
Josemaría Escrivá
Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (born Jose María Mariano Escribá Albás; 9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Catholic Church in Spain, Spanish Catholic priest who founded Opus Dei, an organization of Catholic Laity, laypeop ...
, the founder of
Opus Dei
is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...
, and consecrated on July 7, 1975, under the title of ''Our Lady of Torreciudad''. Devotion to
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
under the title of Virgin of Torreciudad is said to date back to the eleventh century. The Torreciudad Trust is responsible for the upkeep of the shrine and its financial needs.
Description
The shrine was designed by architect
Heliodoro Dols (1933–2025) who supervised the construction with the assistance of the architects
Santiago Sols and
Ramon Mondejar. The main church contains several outstanding features in the alabaster altarpiece by
Juan Mayné, and the Blessed Sacrament chapel with its bronze figure of the crucified Christ, by
Pasquale Sciancalepore. The crypt contains a chapel dedicated to the
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...
, as well as three confessional chapels respectively dedicated to Mary under the titles of Virgin of Loreto, Virgin of the Pillar, and Virgin of Guadalupe. The covered archways on the esplanade contain ceramic depictions by
José Alzuet
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
of the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries of the
rosary
The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
. An old
hermitage on the grounds originally housed the original statue of Our Lady of Torreciudad before it was transferred to the new church.
Many
pilgrim
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
s visit northern Aragon to pray at the shrine. Spiritual activities at the Shrine are entrusted to the Opus Dei Prelature. The shrine is open every day of the year.
The shrine trustees commissioned a comprehensive economic impact report which was published in 2024.
See also
*
Catholic Church in Spain
The Spanish Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Spain, is part of the Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Holy See, Rome, and the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes the non- ...
*
Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei
*
Shrines to Mary, mother of Jesus
A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinatio ...
References
External links
*
Graphical report of the shrineLocation of the shrine
stjosemaria.org/our-lady-of-torreciudad/
catholicnewsagency.com/news/259779/conflict-between-opus-dei-and-spanish-diocese-to-be-mediated-by-papal-commissioner
{{Authority control
Opus Dei
Churches in Aragon
Shrines to the Virgin Mary
Christian organizations established in 1975
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain