Marian Anniversaries

December 4

Nuestra Señora de los Reyes, Seville, Spain

Our Lady of the Kings is co-Patron of Seville with St. Ferdinand III, hero of the reconquest, who installed the Virgin's image in its first chapel there in 1248. After Seville's magnificent late-Gothic cathedral was built, the larchwood statue moved to it in 1579. On December 4, 1904, it became the first image in Andalucia to be canonically crowned. On the feast of the Assumption, August 15, the Virgin of the Kings processes through the city in splendor to her Hymn:

A tus planta se postra Sevilla
por rendirte homenaje y loor.
Gloria, gloria a ti, Virgen de los reyes,
que nos riges con cetro de amor.

Gloria, gloria a ti, Virgen de los reyes,
gloria a ti, ¡Oh, Reina de amor!

Tuyo, Señora, nuestro hogar
y tuyos nuestros amores.
Nuestra oración tus flores,
y nuestro pecho tu altar.

Reina aquí, pues tu Sevilla,
que Fernando conquistó.
A ti, Virgen de los Reyes,
por patrona te aclamó.

Seville comes to your feet
to offer you homage and praise.
Glory, glory to you, Virgin of the Kings,
Who rule with love always.

Glory, glory to you, Virgin of the Kings,
Glory to you, Oh, Queen of love!

Lady, our home is yours
And yours our love always.
Our prayers will be your flowers,
Our breast your holy place.

Reign here, in your Seville,
That Ferdinand took for you,
When, Virgin of the Kings,
He called you patron too.

Sources include:

	Virgen de los Reyes y San Fernando, www.virgendelosreyesysanfernando.com
	"Catedral de Sevilla, Información Turística de Sevilla," Apartamentos en Sevilla, www.barriosantacruz.com/monumentos/catedral.htm (photo)

Also commemorated this date:

	Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches
	Madonna di Lourdes, Naples, Italy. Grotto and Association of Lourdes Pilgrims inaugurated, 1875. Festa February 11.
	Maria Santissima del Buon Consiglio, Porto Empedocle, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. Church dedicated, 1904.
	Shën Mëria e Dimrit, Bibaj, Mavrovo and Rostuša, Polog, Macedonia (St. Mary in the Winter). Start of Christmas Lent in depopulated village, observed with candle-lighting, fasting, blessing and sharing of special loaves, and visiting with neighbors.
	Královná pomoci, Dechtice, Trnava, Slovakia (Queen of Help). Apparitions began, 1994, lasting until 2002 with occasional messages since.
	Virgen de Montiel, Benaguasil, València, Spain. Statue found, 1620.
	Nuestra Señora del Belén, Mérida, Venezuela (Our Lady of Bethlehem). New church inaugurated, 1958.

Where We Walked ~~~ Mary Ann Daly