Torreciudad
Encyclopedia
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, built by Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
, and consecrated on July 7, 1975, under the title of Our Lady of Torreciudad. Devotion to Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
under the title of Virgin of Torreciudad is said to date back to the eleventh century. The Torreciudad Trust is responsible for the upkeep of the shrine and its financial needs. The shrine was designed by architect Heliodoro Dols who supervised the construction with the assistance of the architects Santiago Sols and Ramon Mondejar. The main church contains several outstanding features in the alabaster altarpiece by Juan Mayné, and the Blessed Sacrament chapel with its bronze figure of the crucified Christ, by Pasquale Sciancalepore. The crypt contains a chapel dedicated to the Holy Family, as well as three confessional chapels respectively dedicated to Mary under the titles of Virgin of Loreto, Virgin of the Pillar and Virgin of Guadalupe. The covered archways on the esplanade contain ceramic depictions by José Alzuet of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. An old hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
on the grounds originally housed the original statue of Our Lady of Torreciudad before it was transferred to the new church. Many pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s visit northern Aragon to pray at the shrine. Spiritual activities at the Shrine are entrusted to the Opus Dei Prelature. The shrine is open every day of the year.