Our Lady of Angels patroness of Costa Rica - postcard

♡₊˚⊹ Virgen de los Ángeles, patrona de Costa Rica, ruega por nosotros ₊˚⊹♡

Every year on the 2nd of August, people from all across Latin America (& now, beyond!) pilgrimage by foot to the Basilica of Our Lady, in this tradition known as the "Romería." Countless miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Angels, and long traditions of Costa Ricans bearing the middle name "de los Ángeles" prove it.

The legend of this 20cm statue, made of jade, graphite and volcanic rocks, goes back to 1635-1639. It speaks of a young Afro-Indigenous girl named Juana Pereira, belonging to a marginalised community of the Pardos in the Central Valley, who was collecting firewood near a spring in the forest. There, upon a rock, she found a small, dark statue of the Virgin Mary holding a baby. Mistaking it for a doll, she took it home. The next day, however, the "doll" was nowhere to be found. Juana returned to where she had found it, only to see it again standing upon that same rock. Juana found a local priest to seek advice from. As a test, the priest took the statue and locked it under lock and key inside the nearby parish church. However, the next day, the box was empty, and the statue was in the same place again. News of this incident spread like wildfire. The priest interpreted Our Lady's insistence on her whereabouts to symbolise a divine commandment to build a chapel there. Eventually, due to the amount of veneration and the flow of pilgrims from all across the territories, the chapel grew to be the Basilica that houses the statue to this day.

Veneration to Our Lady of Angels is deeply embedded in Costa Rican culture and spirituality. Costa Ricans call her "La Negrita" out of love, care and devotion. The statue's features are often interpreted to mirror a Black woman's, which is why she is depicted here as a Black Madonna.

La Virgen de los Ángeles symbolises divine recognition and protection of all marginalised communities, in particular, the dignity of Indigenous and Afro-Costarricans—pueblos and communities who are still facing marginalisation and discrimination.

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Illustrated by andhersaints and printed on thick high-quality matte paper.

• Cardboard paper
• Paper weight: 7.67–10.32 oz/yd² (260–350 g/m²)
• Size: 4″ × 6″ (101 × 152 mm)
• Paper thickness: 0.013″ (0.34 mm)
• Coated outer surface
• Blank product materials sourced from Sweden, US, Brazil, or China

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Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years

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