The Virgin of the Valley (Spanish: Virgen del Valle or Nuestra Señora del Valle) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

title of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

venerated in Margarita Island,

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

and Catamarca,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. In Venezuela, the Virgin is the Patroness of Eastern Venezuela, and her feast day is held on 8 September in her sanctuary in Margarita Valley near

Porlamar Porlamar () is the most populated city, major seaport and major center in the state of Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. It is situated on the southern coast of Margarita Island, one of three islands in the Caribbean Sea off the South American mainland wh ...

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

granted a

Canonical coronation A canonical coronation () is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a formal decree of a papal bull, in which the pope bestows the pontifical right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureola, aureole to an image of ...

towards the Argentinian image on 12 April 1891 while

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

crowned the Venezuelan image on 8 September 1911.

In Venezuela

The Spanish conquerors brought the image of the Virgin Mary to

Nueva Cádiz Nueva Cádiz is an archaeological site and former port town on Cubagua, off the coast of Venezuela. First established in 1500 as a seasonal settlement, by 1515 it had become a year-round permanent town. it was one of the first European settleme ...

city in Cubagua Island. After a huge hurricane hit this island in 1542, the image was moved to El Valle del Espíritu Santo in Margarita Island whereby the virgin was rename as Virgin of the Valley. In Caracas there is also a very beautiful image of Virgen del Valle which is a centenary image and that it is in "Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Valle" located in Vista Alegre. ;Miracles Her holy mantle didn't abandon Margarita people. In 1541, the island was suffering a very hard drought so, the people decided to bring the Virgin in a procession. According to people believing, when they were in Asunción city a very heavy rain took place.

In Argentina

; Catamarca The center of the City of Catamarca boasts the imposing cathedral of Our Lady of the Valley, Patron Saint of the city. Throughout the year, thousands of faithful believers from all parts of the country flock to see the image of the virgin. The spectacular temple of Our Lady of the Valley is the most important in the Province of Catamarca. It was designed by architect and town planner Luis Caravatti and constructed between 1859 and 1875 with a strong Neo-classical style. At that time, Vicario Seguro worked very hard to build this cathedral. In fact, he persuaded Justo Jose de Urquiza to make a donation of a sum of money for its construction. Certainly, many pilgrims also collaborated on the same purpose. The temple is so superb that not only does it attract the pilgrims but also the visitors to Catamarca, who cannot miss this architectural jewel. Its facade has a big entrance hall which extends towards the sidewalk and two side towers almost forty meters high. In the Argentinean Army, Our Lady of the Valley is the patron of the paratroopers.

Gallery

File:Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Virgen del Valle 01.jpg, Cathedral Our Lady of the Valley (Catamarca, Argentina). File:Dia Virgen del Valle.jpg, Holiday celebrated in the Virgin of the Valley day ( El Valle,

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, Venezuela, Coche, and the lightly inhabited Cubagua. The state is located off the ...

, Venezuela). File:Mural VirgenDelValle Margarita.png, Virgin of the Valley's Mural. In Margarita Island, Venezuela

References

{{reflist Catholic Church in Venezuela Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus Catholic holy days Catholic devotions Tourist attractions in Argentina Tourist attractions in Venezuela

In Venezuela

In Argentina

Gallery

See also

References