A growing catalogue of vocabulary, facts, and articles about Our Lady.
Did you know that on November 14th, 1921 there was an attempt to destroy the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe? Three men disguised as pilgrims set a vase of flowers concealing 19 sticks of dynamite on the high altar of the old basilica, inches away from the then 389-year-old tilma of Juan Diego. The […]
Have you noticed the line that extends across the entire image of Our Lady of Guadalupe? As discussed in an earlier article, the tilma upon which Our Lady’s image appears was the quintessential garment for Aztec men at the time. Among a variety of practical uses, the tilma also served as an indicator of a […]
Did you know that in 1789 (over 250 years after the apparitions of Our Lady and her appearance on St. Juan Diego’s tilma) a copy of the image was commissioned for the Basilica. It was painted with the best materials and techniques available at the time and placed beside the original. Although it was immediately […]
Have you ever looked closely at the golden rays around the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe? While the halo-like glow is familiar to us in many famous artistic depictions of saintly figures and of Christ Himself, it can be easy to miss what this specific aureola can tell us both historically and theologically… The […]
While many people know of the first four apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, did you know that there was a fifth apparition to St. Juan Bernadino from his death bed? She both miraculously healed him from certain death and also revealed her name. By doing so she both appropriately honored […]
Did you know that during the Christero Wars 1926-1929 the Image of Our Lady was secretly removed for safekeeping in a plan devised by the priest in charge of the basilica? A replica was painted and installed at the basilica while the original image from 1531 was clandestinely smuggled at night from the basilica into […]
Guadalupedia Many of us are familiar with the story of the active miracle in Lourdes, France where Our Lady of Lourdes appeared and a font of water sprung up from the site, which is still visited today by pilgrims seeking miraculous healings. Did you know that in Mexico not one but TWO such springs appeared […]
Guadalupedia: Did you know that the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has withstood a variety of accidents and deliberate attempts at destruction? On November 14th, 1921, during the Christero War; a group of anti-Catholic radicals attempted to destroy the image with a hidden bomb of 19 full sticks of dynamite hidden in a large […]
Guadalupedia: Did you know that the black horn-like shapes under Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feet is actually a crescent moon? The moon appears in Mexico City between the months of December to March at the same angle as depicted in the image from December 1531. Further, this was the exact lunar cycle in Mexico City […]
Did you know that there are more than a dozen constellations featured on the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe? Each constellation is relevant to the identity of Our Lady and of her Son! An example: The constellation Ursa Major (also known as the Big Dipper) can be found on her right side, while the […]
