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According to local legend, in 40 AD the apostle Saint James the Greater was praying on the banks of the Ebro River in Zaragoza when the Virgin Mary appeared to him. |
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The Virgin gave James a small statue of herself and a pillar made of jasper, and instructed him to build a church called Our Lady of the Pillar. As instructed, Saint James built a small chapel on the spot, which would make it the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. |
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Many churches were subsequently built on the site, each one more impressive than the last. Today's version was designed in 1681 but significantly remodeled in the 18th century. The towers were finally finished in the early 20th century. |
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Today, Our Lady of the Pillar is the second-most visited pilgrimage destination in Spain after Santiago de Compostela. Pope John Paul II visited in 1982. It has also become a tradition for Spanish children to make a pilgrimage to El Pilar at the time of their first communion. |
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El Pilar is a massive edifice, dominating the Zaragoza skyline from its riverside location. Its exterior has an exotic Oriental flavor, almost mosque-like in its overall appearance, with a large rectangular floor plan and tall corner towers. |
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Between the towers is a large central dome surrounded by ten smaller domes; the latter are decorated with bright blue, green, yellow and white tiles. |
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All of this to house the famous yet humble statue of Our Lady of the Pillar which is made of wood and stands only 15 inches tall. |
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