Why is today, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas?
According to pious legend recorded by a Spanish priest, the first historian of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, a statue was discovered on a beach with a child in one hand and a candle in the other in 1392.
A goatherder tried to throw a stone at the statue, but his arm became paralyzed. When another tried to stab it, they ended up stabbing themselves.
The statue was brought to the Cave Shrine of Chinguaro, now a Roman Catholic Church, where it was identified as a statue of the Virgin Mary by a convert. It was later brought to another cave for veneration, the Cave of Saint Blaise, a chapel today.
In 1497, coinciding with the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, the first Mass of the feast of the Virgen de Candelaria was celebrated there – Candlemas(s).
The “Virgin of Candelaria” was later declared patroness of the Canary Islands by Pope Clement VIII in 1559, widely petitioned to pray for protection against epidemics, plagues, droughts, and volcanic eruptions.
Owing to its mysterious origin are strange letters on the original statue that was discovered on a beach in 1392, their meaning completely unknown to this day. What do you think they mean?
Band on the neck: ETIEPFSEPMERI
In the belt: NARMPRLMOTARE
On the left sleeve, by the candle: LPVRINENIPEPNEIFANT
In the mantle, in the right arm: OLM INRANFR IAEBNPFM RFVEN NVINAPIMLIFINVIPI NIPIAN
At the edge of the left hand: FVPMIRNA ENVPMTI EPNMPIR VRVIVINRN APVIMFRI PIVNIAN NTRHN
At the bottom of the robe: EAFM IRENINI FMEAREI
On the back of the cape: NBIMEI ANNEIPERFMIVIFVF
In the Philippines, the Virgin of Candelaria is also venerated as Our Lady of the Candles, patroness of the Western Visayas and Romblon.
At the Jaro Cathedral of Oloilo City in the Western Visayas, also known as the National Shrine of the Our Lady of Candles, is an enshrined image which was crowned in person by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1981.
This was the first Marian image to be canonically crowed by the pope in person in all of Asia and the Philippines.
Our Lady of Candlemas, pray for us!🙏
Photo credit: CARLOS TEIXIDOR CADENAS via Wikimedia
