Zaragoza, Spain
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
A major Marian shrine on the Ebro River, built around the pillar where tradition says Mary appeared to the Apostle James.
From across the Ebro River at sunset, the four towers and eleven domes of El Pilar look like they're floating above the water. This is one of the first places in the world where Mary is said to have appeared — and she appeared during her own lifetime, to the Apostle James, while he was preaching in Spain. The story goes that she came standing on a small jasper pillar and told him to build a church. That pillar is still here. You can see it in the Holy Chapel, a small marble structure set inside the massive Baroque basilica like a church within a church. Pilgrims line up to kiss the exposed section of the pillar through an oval opening in the wall. The main dome overhead carries frescoes by Goya — one of his earliest major commissions. The building is enormous, able to hold thousands, and on the feast day of October 12th it does. The rest of the year, it has the feel of a busy parish where people stop in on their lunch break.
Diocese: Archdiocese of Zaragoza
Style: Baroque
What to See
The Holy Chapel is the heart of the basilica — a small Baroque structure within the larger church housing the Virgin's statue atop the jasper pillar. Join the line to kiss the exposed stone. Look up at the dome frescoes by Goya, painted when he was in his early thirties. Two bombs dropped during the Spanish Civil War crashed through the ceiling but failed to explode; they're now displayed inside the church. The treasury museum holds a collection of jeweled mantles used to dress the statue of Our Lady throughout the year.
Pilgrim Notes
The basilica is free and open daily, with Masses throughout the day. October 12th, the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, brings massive crowds and the famous Ofrenda de Flores — a flower offering where thousands of people in traditional dress bring bouquets to build a towering floral mantle around a replica statue in the plaza. The tower elevator offers panoramic views of Zaragoza and the river. The basilica sits right on the Plaza del Pilar, surrounded by restaurants and cafés.