Our Lady of Guadalupe
Third window on the left side of the Church
In 1531, The Blessed Virgin appeared to a 55 year old Indian, Juan Diego, as he was hurrying down the Tepeyos Hills on his way to Mass in Mexico City. Mary instructed Juan to tell the bishop of her desire to have a church built on that very spot. The bishop, a Franciscan, asked for proof of the Lady's identity. The proof provided was Juan's mantle filled with roses although it was winter. Opening the mantle, the roses showered to the ground, and on Juan's mantle appeared a life-sized figure of the Virgin as Juan had described her. It was miraculously painted on the mantle and, try as they have, no artist has been able to duplicate the colors of the original. The mantle is still preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Mexico's center of devotion and pilgrimage.
The main figure of the window is the Miraculous Image of Guadalupe, which represents Mary, the Immaculate Conception, standing upon the signs of the Apocalypse, namely, the sun, the moon and the stars and an angel who supports the crescent of the moon. The inner part of the nimbus, or cloud, surrounding the image is of blended ruby, while the nimbus itself is of blended violet. The hills of Tepeyos are shown at the feet of Mary to recall the country of the former Aztecs.
The upper medallion, "the Basilica of Guadalupe", depicts the church built by Bishop Juan de Zumarraga at Mary's request on the very spot where she appeared. The lower section, "The Patroness of the Americas", shows the picture of Juan Diego arriving at the bishop's palace with the shower of roses and the holy mantle. The bishop kneels in response to Mary's sign. The bottom shield of the window depicts a rose, appropriately recalling one of Mary's titles, the Mystical Rose, as well as her use of the rose as proof of her heavenly message.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us |
