Our Lady of the 33, patroness of Uruguay
The small image of our Lady is carved in wood and it comes from the workshops that the Jesuits had in Paraguay around the middle of the 18th century. The image was made in one of the Guaraní workshops.
Toward 1779, the image was in the chapel of the Jesuit priests of Pintado but, when the population had to be transferred because of a flood, the neighbors took the image along on their way to the city now known as Florida.
On April 18, 1825, 33 patriots of Uruguay disembarked on the beach of Agraciada in order to start the independence war. As they arrived to Florida, they went into the church and placed the uncertain future of the new nation under the protection of Mary. On August 25 of that same year independence was declared and the patriots went once again to the temple to place the new nation under the protection of Our Lady. Since then, people called the image Our Lady of the 33.
Your turn:
- What are the plans or dreams for the future do you have that you would like to entrust to Our Lady?
