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'{{coord|41|39|25|N|0|52|42|W|type:landmark_region:ES_scale:2000|display=title}} {{Infobox religious building |building_name=Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar<br><small>{{lang|es|Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar}}</small> |image=Basilica del Pilar ZaragozaAragon(Spain).jpg |caption=Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica |location=[[Zaragoza]], Spain |geo= |religious_affiliation=[[Catholic]] |rite=[[Roman Rite]] |province=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zaragoza|Archdiocese of Zaragoza]] |district= |consecration_year=1st or 2nd century AD |status=[[Basilica|Minor Basilica]] |leadership= |website= |architect= |architecture_type= |architecture_style=[[Baroque]] |groundbreaking=1681 |facade_direction= |year_completed=1754 |construction_cost= |specifications= |capacity= |length= |width= |width_nave= |height_max= |dome_quantity= |dome_height_outer= |dome_height_inner= |dome_dia_outer= |dome_dia_inner= |minaret_quantity= |minaret_height= |spire_quantity= |spire_height= |materials= }} The '''Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar''' ({{lang-es|Catedral-Basílica de [[Our Lady of the Pillar|Nuestra Señora del Pilar]]}}) is a [[Roman Catholic]] church in the city of [[Zaragoza]], [[Aragon]], Spain. The Basilica venerates [[Blessed Virgin Mary]], under her title [[Our Lady of the Pillar]]<ref>[http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/mary0030.htm Our Lady of the Pillar] on Catholic-forums.</ref> praised as "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" by [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref name="homily">Fr. Tommy Lane [http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/pilgrimage/zaragoza_el_pilar.htm Homily during a pilgrimage to Zaragoza, Spain] on Bible, Prayer, Homily resources website.</ref> It is reputed to be the first [[Shrines to the Virgin Mary|church dedicated to Mary]] in history.<ref name="CNA"/> Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of [[Christianity]] in Spain attributing to an [[Marian apparition|apparition]] to [[James the Great|Saint James the Great]], the [[Twelve apostles|apostle]] who is believed by tradition to have brought Christianity to the country.<ref name="workofgod">[http://www.theworkofgod.org/Aparitns/Others.htm#Our%20Lady%20of%20the%20Pillar Our Lady of the Pillar] on The work of God website on various apparitions of Mary.</ref> This is the only reported apparition of Mary to have occurred before her believed [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]].<ref name="homily"/> Many of the kings of Spain, many other foreign rulers and saints have paid their devotion before this statue of Mary. Saint [[John of the Cross]], Saint [[Teresa of Ávila]], Saint [[Ignatius of Loyola]], and Blessed [[William Joseph Chaminade]] are among the foremost ones.<ref name="Aradi"/> The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is one of two minor [[basilica]]s in the city of Zaragoza, and is co-cathedral of the city alongside the nearby [[La Seo Cathedral]]. The architecture is of [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style, and the present building was predominantly built between 1681 and 1872. ==History== [[File:Basilica del Pilar wideangle.jpg|thumb|Front side of the Basilica]] ===Apparition of ''Pilar''=== {{main|Our Lady of the Pillar}} According to ancient local tradition, soon after the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]] of Jesus, Saint James was preaching the [[Gospel]] in Spain, but was disheartened because of the failure of his mission.<ref name="workofgod"/> Tradition holds that on 2 January 40&nbsp;AD,<ref name="CNA">[http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=622 NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL PILAR (OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR)]</ref> while he was deep in prayer by the banks of the [[Ebro]],<ref name="CATEN"/> the [[Mother of God]] appeared to him and gave a column of [[jasper]] and instructed him to build a church in her honor:<ref name="workofgod"/> {{quote|text=This place is to be my house, and this image and column shall be the title and altar of the temple that you shall build.}} ===First Chapel=== About a year after the believed apparition James is believed to have arranged to build a small chapel in Mary's honor, the first church ever dedicated to the honor of the Virgin Mary. After James returned to Jerusalem, he was executed by [[Agrippa I|Herod Agrippa]] in about 44&nbsp;AD, the first apostle to be martyred for his faith. Several of his disciples took his body and returned it for final burial in Spain.<ref name="workofgod"/>poooooooooooooo This first chapel was eventually destroyed with various other Christian shrines, but the statue and the pillar stayed intact under the protection of the people of Zaragoza.<ref name="Aradi">Zsolt Aradi [http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=2983 The Virgen Del Pilar] on Catholic culture.</ref> ===Expansions=== ====Romanesque Church==== Numerous churches have been built upon this site through the years. The tiny chapel built by Saint James later gave way to a basilicalike enclosure during [[Constantine I]]'s time; subsequently being transformed into [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]], then [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] then [[Mudéjar]] styles.<ref name="Juan">Juan Antonio Gracia Gimeno. ''The Pillar of Saragossa'' Editorial Escudo de Ora. S.A., ISBN 84-378-1301-8</ref> The venerated shrines at Zaragoza date to the Christian [[Reconquista|Reconquest]] by [[Alfonso the Battler|King Alfonso I]] in 1118.<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ibn-bajja/ Ibn Bajja], ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy''.</ref> A church in the Romanesque style was built under the pontificate of Pedro de Librana<ref name="Juan"/> who is also credited with the oldest written testimonial to the Virgin at Zaragoza.<ref name="CATEN"/> A [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] on the south wall of this Romanesque church still stands.<ref name="Juan"/> [[File:Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and the Ebro River, Zaragoza.jpg|left|thumb|The basilica, viewed from across the [[Ebro]]]] ====Gothic Church==== The Romanesque church was damaged by fire in 1434, and reconstruction began in the Mudéjar Gothic style.<ref name="Juan"/> A Gothic-style church was built in the 15th century but only a few parts of it remain intact or were later restored, including the choir stand and the altarpiece in [[alabaster]] by [[Damián Forment]].<ref name="aragon">[http://www.aragonguide.com/articles.asp?cID=67&sID=414&aID=1429 Basilica del Pilar, Zaragoza, Aragon] on Aragon guide.{{deadlink|date=November 2015}}</ref> [[File:Detalle de la Regina Martyrum.jpg|thumb|Detail of the fresco of ''[[The Queen of Martyrs]]'' in the dome, painted by [[Francisco Goya]]]] ====Current church==== The present spacious church in [[Baroque]] style was begun in 1681<ref name="CATEN"/> by [[Charles II of Spain|Charles II, King of Spain]] and completed in 1686.<ref name="Aradi"/> The early constructions were supervised by Felipe Sanchez<ref name="Juan"/> and were later modified by [[Francisco Herrera the Younger]] under [[John of Austria the Younger]].<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07295a.htm Francisco Herrera (el Mozo, the Younger)] in ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.</ref> In 1725, the Cabildo of Zaragoza decided to change the aspect of the Holy Chapel and commissioned the architect [[Ventura Rodríguez]], who transformed the building into its present dimensions of 130 meters long by 67 wide, with its eleven cupolas and four towers. The area most visited is the eastern part of the chapel, because this is where the Holy Chapel by Ventura Rodríguez (1754) is built, which houses the venerated image of the Virgin. Around the Holy Chapel are the [[Vault (architecture)|vaults]] or [[dome]]s painted with frescoes by [[Francisco Goya]]: ''[[The Queen of Martyrs]]'' and ''[[Adoration of the Name of God]]''.<ref name="aragon"/> By 1718 the church had been vaulted over. However, it was not until 1872 that the final touches were put to these vaults, when the main dome and the final spire were finished.<ref name="Juan"/> During the [[Spanish Civil War]] of 1936–1939 three bombs were dropped on the church but [[Dud|none of them exploded]].<ref name="CNA"/> Two of them are still on show in the Basilica. Notable choirmasters include the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] composer [[Joseph Ruiz Samaniego]]. ==Pillar and the image== [[File:Cathedral-Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza 02.jpg|thumb|Tower of the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]] The statue is wooden and 39&nbsp;cm tall and rests on a column of [[jasper]]. The tradition of the shrine of El Pilar, as given by Our Lady in an apparition to Sister [[María de Ágreda|Mary Agreda]] and written about in ''The Mystical City of God'', is that [[Our Lady of the Pillar|Our Lady]] was carried on a cloud by the angels to Zaragoza during the night. While they were traveling, the angels built a pillar of [[marble]], and a miniature image of Our Lady. Our Lady gave the message to St James and added that a church was to be built on the site where the apparition took place. The pillar and the image were to be part of the main altar.<ref name="homily"/> The image was crowned in 1905 with a crown designed by the Marquis of Griñi, and valued at 450,000 [[peseta]]s (£18,750, 1910).<ref name="CATEN">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083b.htm Nuestra Señora Del Pilar] on Catholic encylopedeia.</ref> ==Layout == The building, which can be seen from the nearby [[Ebro River]], is a large rectangle with a nave and two aisles, with two other all-brick chapels, thus giving the whole a typically Aragonese touch. It is illuminated by large [[oculus|oculi]], characteristic of the monuments of the region from the 17th century onwards. Twelve enormous pillars support the vaults of the nave and aisles; the whole is topped by domes, as are the chapels.<ref name="Juan"/> The chapels within the Basilica include: *Chapel of the [[Rosary]] *Chapel of [[Joachim]] *Chapel of [[Saint Lawrence]] (Lorenzo) *Chapel of [[Pedro de Arbués|Saint Pedro de Arbués]] *Chapel of [[Saint Braulio]] *Chapel of [[Saint Anthony of Padua|Saint Anthony]] *Chapel of [[Saint Joseph]] *Chapel of [[Saint Anna]] *Chapel of [[John the Apostle|Saint John]] ==El Pilar and Spanish identity== The feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, celebrating the first apparition of [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Mary]] to Hispanic people, is on October 12. This coincides with the [[Día de la Hispanidad]] and the date of [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus's]] discovery of the New World. Every nation of Hispanic colonial origin has donated national vestments for the fifteenth-century statue of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Virgin]], which is housed in the chapel.<ref name="Juan"/> [[Pope John Paul II]] praised El Pilar as "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" during both his visits to the Basilica.<ref name="homily"/> It was declared ''[[Bien de Interés Cultural]]'' in 1904.<ref name="bic">{{Bien de Interés Cultural}}</ref> ==See also== {{Commonscat|Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza}} *[[Marian apparitions]] *[[Roman Catholic Marian churches]] *[[12 Treasures of Spain]] * [[List of Bien de Interés Cultural in the Province of Zaragoza]] ==References== {{reflist|colwidth=35em}} {{Private revelation}} {{Cathedrals in Spain}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Churches in Zaragoza|Our Lady of the Pillar]] [[Category:Basilica churches in Spain|Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza]] [[Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Spain|Zaragoza, Our Lady of the Pillar]] [[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1686]] [[Category:Churches completed in 1872]] [[Category:19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings]] [[Category:Marian shrines]] [[Category:Visitor attractions in Zaragoza]] [[Category:Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Zaragoza]] [[Category:Baroque architecture in Aragon]]'