Sofia in Spain!: Torreciudad

Since we had no classes on Friday, I went with a few friends to visit Torreciudad for the day. Torreciudad is a shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's located in the north of Spain, about a 3 hour drive by car from Pamplona. Since the eleventh century, people have kept alive the custom of coming on pilgrimage to pray to Our Lady. The actual shrine was built under the guidance of the St. Josemaria Escriva and was inaugurated on July 7, 1975. He built the shrine out of his love for Mary and so that other people may come shore their love and receive spiritual miracles. He hoped for “the conversion and the peace of many souls.”

The story of St. Josemaria is that when he was two years old, he and his sisters fell seriously ill. His sisters died, but after much praying to the Virgin from his mother, St. Josemaria lived. Later on, his mother with his father brought him to Torreciudad (then just a tower, and a small hermitage) to give thanks to the Lady. Much later on, St. Josemaria decided to rebuild and construct a shrine to our Lady.

The Shrine of Our Lady

Torreciudad is a very beautiful place. The centre of Torreciudad is the Shrine of Our Lady. In the church, behind the altar, is The Reredos, composed of eight sculptural settings depicting the principal events of Our Lady’s life. It is most beautiful and I have picture, here:

Left column: top: Mary’s betrothal to St. Joseph, centre: the Annunciation, bottom: the Visitation
Right column: top: the Nativity/Adoration of the Shepherds, centre: the Flight to Egypt, bottom: the Workshop at NazarethMiddle column: top: the Coronation, centre: the tabernacle and the Crucifixion of Our Lord, bottom: the original Romanesque carved statue of Our Lady of Torreciudad

To the right of the church is the Crypt. There are several chapels dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, of Pilar and of Guadalupe. There also confessionals (40 to be exact) available to those who want to make confession. Then, there is a Gallery of Marian Devotions. This gallery contains replicas of Marian representations brought in pilgrimage from all over the world. I counted five from the Philippines: one from Cebu, one from Antipolo, one from Lipa, Batangas, one from Manila, and one more, which I can’t remember.

In front of the church is a huge esplanade big enough to house the plenty pilgrims that come on specific days. Actually, yesterday (2 May 2009) there was a celebration for Filipino pilgrims.

Along three coveed archways of the esplanade of Torreciudad are ceramic tiles depicting the four mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Each mystery has its own series of tableau for people to reflect on while praying the rosary.

Outside the walls, and a little down is a small tower from which the name of the place is derived as well as the hermitage which is the original shrine. For centuries it housed the statue of Our Lady until the new shrine was completed in 1975. Along the path there are also ceramic tiles representing the Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of St. Joseph. Along another path are the Stations of the Cross.