Our Lady of Navigators | |
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 Statue ofOur Lady of Navigators at theOur Lady of Navigators church,Porto Alegre, Brazil | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 2 February |
| Attributes | Blessed Virgin Mary held by angels,Infant Jesus holding an anchor, mantle, jewelry, crown, halo of stars |
| Patronage | Navigators, sailors, protection from storms |
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Our Lady of Navigators also known asOur Lady of Seafarers (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes inPortuguese) is a devotional title given to theVirgin Mary byRoman Catholics. It is a widespread devotion in South America, especially in Brazil, where her holy day is celebrated on 2 February, it is an official holiday on the city ofPorto Alegre. Several churches in Brazil are dedicated to Our Lady of Navigators.[1][2][3]
The devotion to Our Lady of Navigators has its roots in Portugal, where she is considered the patron saint of navigators, fishermen, and sailors praying for a safe return to their homes.[4] They saw the Virgin Mary as their protector during storms and other hazards.
TheBandra Fair in Mumbai has been celebrated for about 300 years, and began as a commemoration of the fortuitous finding of a statue of Our Lady of Navigators to replace one damaged by Arab pirates atMount Mary Church.[5] Some sixty years later the original statue was repaired and that of Our Lady of Navigators returned to the nearbySt. Andrew's Church, Mumbai.
The first statue in South America was brought from Portugal to Brazil. In Brazil, theProcissão no Mar, a religious procession where the image of the Virgin Mary is carried take place in most coastal cities that have harbors, specially the large ones. The Brazilian city ofNavegantes is named after Our Lady of Navigators.
The theme of the "Virgin Mary as the protector" was similarly used inThe Virgin of the Navigators, painted sometime between 1531 and 1536 byAlejo Fernández. Depicting Mary and Spanish monarchs and explorers, this is the earliest known painting whose subject is the discovery of the Americas.[6][7] It was painted as analtarpiece for, and remains at, a chapel of theCasa de Contratación inAlcázar of Seville,Seville, Spain.
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