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The Immaculate Conception, patroness of Spain
The Immaculate Conception is the patroness of Spain, and her feast day, December 8, is one of the most important Marian celebrations of the year. Few devotions are so closely linked to the history of our country.
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Soult's Immaculate Conception, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1678. Museo del Prado (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)
What the Immaculate Conception Means
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. Although it had been celebrated for centuries, it was proclaimed a dogma by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854.
A Very Spanish Devotion
Spain defended this belief long before it was proclaimed a dogma. Universities, cities, and confraternities swore to defend it, and kings petitioned Rome for centuries to proclaim it. In 1760, King Charles III declared her the patroness of Spain and its territories.
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Fun Facts
- The traditional greeting "Ave María Purísima", to which the response is "sin pecado concebida", comes from this devotion. That is why the Immaculate Conception is also called the Most Pure.
- The "miracle of Empel": in December 1585, a Spanish tercio besieged in Flanders found a panel with the image of the Immaculate Conception. That night an extreme cold froze the river and allowed the soldiers to break the siege. Since then she has been the patroness of the Spanish Infantry.
- Spain has the privilege of priests wearing a sky-blue chasuble on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
- The Sevillian painter Murillo painted more than twenty Immaculate Conceptions, which established the image of the Virgin dressed in white and blue.
Why Give an Immaculate Conception Medal
It is a beautiful gift for a Concepción, a Concha, an Inma, or a Purísima; for a first communion or to celebrate December 8, right at the beginning of Christmas. Its design, inspired by antique medals, makes it a keepsake for life.
Facts You Can Check
- The feast of December 8 is more than five centuries old: it was established by Pope Sixtus IV in 1476 and Clement XI extended it to the whole Church in 1708. Source
- The document with which Pius IX proclaimed the dogma in 1854 is called Ineffabilis Deus. It states that Mary was preserved «immune from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception». Source
- The Soult's Immaculate Conception you see above was commissioned in 1678 by Justino de Neve for the Hospital of the Venerables of Seville. Marshal Soult took it to Paris, the Louvre bought it in 1852 and it returned to Spain in 1941, in exchange for a portrait of Mariana of Austria painted by Velázquez. Source
- In Rome, the Immaculate Conception has its column in the Spanish Steps: it measures 12 meters and was inaugurated on December 8, 1857. Every December 8 the Pope prays at its feet and the firefighters are the first to leave flowers. Source
Our Immaculate Conception Medals
Discover all our Immaculate Conception medals, handmade in Spain with pearls, natural stones, and enamels.
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Immaculate Conception medal with pearls€69I want itImmaculate Conception medal with rubies and sapphires€69I want itImmaculate Conception medal with dark turquoise€65I want it
Handcrafted in Spain · Free shipping from €65