The significance to St. Josemaria is that his mother was quite devoted to Our Lady of Torreciudad, and asked for her intervention in St. Josemaria's health when he was near death at the ripe old age of 2. After this miraculous recovery, his mother took him to Torreciudad to present him to Our Lady. This involved riding up the steep canyon on the rough tracks then in use.
Parts of the old shrine are visible in this photo overlooking the Cinca Valley, now flooded.
The new shrine, as seen from the ancient one, the one visited by St. Josemaria with his mother.
The new shrine.
The main chapel. One of the unusual characteristics of this building is the extensive use of brick, especially on the underneath of horizontal surfaces, such as the galleries and roof here!
The altar, with the alabaster altar piece, akin to that at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar in Zaragoza, and inspired by it.
There are many statues and images of the Virgin Mary in the new shrine, and this is just a sampling. They are contribued by pilgrims from all over the world, and reflect the varying images of Mary as reflected through the local culture.
Father Mark preparing for his reflection in the Holy Family chapel.
We shared Mass this morning with a tour group from the Phillipines. It's interesting to see the different customs which local populations apply to the Mass.
Looking north from the shrine towards the Pyrenees, and France, our destination for the day.
Pilgrimage Home Page