Our Lady of Peace

El Salvador

Feast Day: January 24

This date offers us the perfect opportunity to reflect on the value of peace in our lives and how the Blessed Virgin Mary inspires us to seek peace in a world often marked by conflict.

In El Salvador, the image of Our Lady of Peace is venerated in the church of San Miguel. This devotion is celebrated mainly in Spain and El Salvador, where she is the patron saint. The Virgin Mary holds the Child Jesus in her left arm and a palm or olive branch in her right arm, as a symbol of peace.

The origins of this devotion date back to the 7th century. After the 9th Council of Toledo, Archbishop Saint Ildefonso, a fervent devotee of the Virgin Mary, went to the cathedral to sing matins. As they entered, they saw a bright glow on the altar: the Blessed Virgin Mary had come down from heaven and was sitting in her episcopal chair. The Mother of God spoke with sweet words to her faithful servant and promoter of faith in her Immaculate Conception and gave him a chasuble, which is kept there.

For this special purpose, the Church of Toledo, at his death on January 23, 667, decreed that on January 24, the memorable descent of the Virgin Mary to the cathedral would be solemnly celebrated throughout the archdiocese, but the name and title of Our Lady of Peace was given to her in the 11th century, on the occasion of a unique historical event

Problems arose when Alfonso VI, King of Castile (Spain), reconquered the city of Toledo in 1085, which had been taken by the Moors (Muslims). One of the conditions of the peace treaty was that the main temple of the city would remain as a mosque for the Moors.

The Christians considered this unworthy and tried to take the cathedral by force. Then something extraordinary happened, which was a sign to everyone that God had answered their prayers. The Moors realized the danger they were running if they continued to worship Mohammed in the main church of that Christian city and promised to return the cathedral.

Great was the joy of the king and his people, who saw in this the work of Divine Providence. The next day, January 24, the cathedral was taken and the Virgin Mary of the Metropolitan Church was henceforth venerated as Our Lady of Peace, because she had restored peace on her feast day. In 1917, during the First World War, Pope Benedict XV ordered the invocation "Queen of Peace" to be added to the Litany of Loreto. The image is in the church of San Andrés in Toledo.