A Shrine to the Virgin Mary or Marian Shrine, in Christian culture and practice, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destination of Marian pilgrimages .
Many of the shrines have acquired a symbolic value for patriotism and nationalism in their area.
Among the shrines considered most significant for their apparitions:
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Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal
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The Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico
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The Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland in Knock, Ireland
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Loreto, Italy
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The Black Madonna of Czestochowa in Czestochowa, Poland
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The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen in Lichen (Poland) , Poland
- The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France
- The Sanctuary of the Black Virgin of Montserrat , Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain
- Our Lady of La Vang in La Vang , Vietnam
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Our Lady of La Salette in La Salette, France
- Our Lady of Walsingham in Walsingham, England
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Our Lady of Ipswich in Ipswich, England
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Our Lady of Ostra Brama in Vilnius, Lithuania
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Basilica of the Virgin Mary, India
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Our Lady of China in Donglu, China
- the Virgin of Sheshan , Help of Christians in Sheshan , China
Other shrines include:
- Our Lady of Bliss near Guiyang, China
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Covadonga, Asturias, Spain.
- Guadalupe , Spain.
- the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Longtian , China
- the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Qingyang , China
- the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC
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Shrine of Our Lady, Bradstowe
- Valvanera , Spain
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Our Lady of Combermere in Ontario, Canada
Use in Personal Names
In Hispanic culture, Marian shrines are a frequent source of female names of the form Marķa de [...]. Some names omit Mary/Marķa and include only the prominent source of the sobriquet (e.g. Pilar from Nuestra Senora del Pilar, or Lourdes from Our Lady of Lourdes ).
See also
External links
Last updated: 09-12-2005 02:39:13