This statue of the Virgen of Candelaria, Patroness of the Canary Islands, stands as part of a beautiful Retablo in the Cathedral Basilica of San Fernando de Bexar, San Antonio TX. She is a treasured gift to the Cathedral from the government of the Canary Islands, in honor and recognition of the 56 Canary Islanders who arrived in 1731 and founded San Fernando de Bexar Catholic church and a village that in time developed into the Cathedral Basilica of San Fernando de Bexar and the City of San Antonio, respectively.
Our Lady of Candelaria is also known as Our Lady of the Candles, the Virgin of Candelaria, and The Black Madonna.
Two plaques beside the Retablo of Our Lady of Candelaria read as follows:
"The rich tableau of our Lady of Candelaria, gift of the government of the Canary Islands, Cabildo de Tenerife,, and the Descendants of the Canary Islands"
"OUR LADY OF CANDELARIA,
PATRONESSS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS
Donated 1984 by the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, in memory of 56 Canary Islands immigrants who came to San Antonio in 1731 and founded San Fernando."
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"Our Lady of Candelaria -Canary Islands
Black Madonna -Our Lady of Candelaria – Canary Islands
1390
The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candelaria (Virgen de Candelaria, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria).
Popularly called La Morenita, celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands (Spain).
The center of worship is located in the city of Candelaria in Tenerife. She is depicted as a Black Madonna.
The “Royal Basilica Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria” (Basilica of Candelaria), is considered the main church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Canary Islands.
She is the patron saint of the Canary Islands.
Her feast is celebrated on February 2 (Candlemas) and August 15, the patronal feast of the Canary Islands.
According to a legend recorded by Alonso de Espinosa in 1594, a statue of the Virgin Mary, bearing a child in one hand and a green candle in the other (hence “Candelaria”), was discovered on the beach of Chimisay (Güímar) by two Guanche goatherds in 1392. This was before the Castilian conquest of the island (the island was not fully conquered until 1496).
One of the shepherds tried to throw a stone at the statue, but his arm became paralyzed; the other tried to stab the statue with a knife but ended up stabbing himself. The statue was taken by the local Guanche mencey, Acaymo, to the cueva de Chinguaro.
Later, Antón, a Guanche who had been enslaved and converted to Christianity by the Castilians, returned to Tenerife and recognized the statue as that of the Virgin Mary. He told the mencey of his conversion and the statue was thus venerated by the Guanches, who moved it to the cave of Achbinico (also known as San Blas – “Saint Blaise”).
However, the statue was stolen and taken away to Lanzarote. It was later returned to Tenerife after various events, such as an outbreak of the plague, occurred on Lanzarote. At first, the aboriginals identified the statue with their goddess Chaxiraxi (the mother of the gods), but later the Christian conquerors explained that the image was the Virgin Mary.
The original image was a medieval gothic sculpture with dark color and clothing similar to that of the Virgin of Lluch (patron saint of Mallorca) and the Virgin of Montserrat (patron saint of Catalonia
She was declared patroness of the Canary Islands in 1559, by Clement VIII (and principal patroness in 1867 by Pope Pius IX).
The Virgin of Candelaria is widely prayed to for protection against poverty, for a rich harvest, abundance, and for success in business and other endeavours
She is also prayed to to prevent epidemics, plagues, droughts and volcanic eruptions of Mount Teide and other volcanoes, in a manner similar to the invocation of St. Januarius of Naples to stop the eruptions of Vesuvius and of St. Agatha of Catania to eruptions of Mount Etna in Sicily."