Our Lady of Suyapa
14°4′49.66″N 87°9′27.51″W / 14.0804611°N 87.1576417°W
Virgin of Suyapa | |
|---|---|
| Our Lady of Suyapa Patroness of Honduras | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Major shrine | Basilica of the Virgin of Suyapa, Honduras |
| Feast | February 3 |
| Patronage | Honduras, Central America, Orden de los Caballeros de Suyapa |
Our Lady of Suyapa (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Suyapa), also known as the Virgin of Suyapa (Spanish: Virgen de Suyapa), is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the 18th-century made of cedar wood statue (6 cm/2.3 in) widely venerated by its devotees.
The statue is kept in the Basílica of Suyapa where many make pilgrimages to visit the statue on February 3, a commemoration of the day she was found in 1747. The statue has been stolen and then recovered on two occasions.
Pope Pius XII issued a Pontifical decree Simulacrum Beatæ Mariæ declaring the namesake title as the Patroness of Honduras on 25 April 1953. Pope John Paul II visited the shrine of the image in 8 March 1983. Pope Benedict XVI approved the request of the Government of Honduras to install a replica image at the Vatican Gardens on 20 September 2013. Pope Francis raised her shrine to the status of Minor Basilica via decree on 28 August 2015.