Every October 12, in barracks across Spain, civil guards don their dress uniform, raise the flag, and celebrate their patron saint: the Virgin of El Pilar. It is the most important day of the year for the Corps and its families. But why El Pilar? The answer begins at a school in Valdemoro, long before it became official.
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It all began at the School of Young Guards
In 1864, the first chaplain of the School of Young Guards “Duke of Ahumada” in Valdemoro (Madrid) placed an image of the Virgin of El Pilar in the school chapel. The sons of civil guards were trained there, and in 1865 the Virgin of El Pilar was declared the school’s patron saint, almost spontaneously.
Generation after generation, those boys carried their devotion to the posts where they were assigned, in Spain and across the Spanish Empire. For almost half a century, the Virgin of El Pilar was the “unofficial” patron saint of the Civil Guard.
1913: official patron saint
- January 7, 1913: the director general, Lieutenant General Ángel Aznar, asked the Minister of War to officially declare the Virgin of El Pilar the patron saint of the Corps.
- February 1913: King Alfonso XIII granted the request by Royal Order.
- October 12, 1913: the Civil Guard officially celebrated its patron saint for the first time, with dress uniforms, the raising of the flag, and masses at its posts.
There was another practical reason: the Immaculate Conception was already the patron saint of the Infantry, and El Pilar gave the Corps its own patron saint, deeply Spanish and widely beloved.
Why El Pilar
According to tradition, the Virgin appeared to the apostle James on the banks of the Ebro in Zaragoza, atop a stone pillar: the pillar that is venerated in her basilica today. She is a symbol of steadfastness and companionship in difficult times, which fits perfectly with the Corps’ spirit of service. We tell you more in the apostle James and the Virgin of El Pilar.
The Civil Guard’s gifts to its patron saint
- 1917: a plaque at the Basilica of El Pilar in Zaragoza, which remains there today.
- 1994: the Virgin was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard.
- Later, the civil guards gifted her a gold cross with emeralds and rubies, paid for by a collection among them, and a gold-embroidered mantle bearing the Corps’ former emblem.
- 2013: the Corps celebrated the centenary of its patronage.
October 12 in the barracks
Three holidays coincide on that day: the Virgin of El Pilar, the National Day and Hispanity Day, and the Civil Guard’s holiday. At the barracks, it is celebrated with masses, events with families, decorations, and, in many towns, with local residents. In Zaragoza, the civil guards take part in the Flower Offering.
A gift for a civil guard
A Virgin of El Pilar medal is one of the most beautiful gifts for a civil guard or their family: on the day they graduate from the academy, start their first assignment, receive a promotion, retire, or simply on October 12. Many mothers, wives, and daughters wear it to keep the patron saint of their loved ones close.
Our Virgin of El Pilar medals
We designed them, Marian and Bárbara, and make them by hand in Spain, piece by piece. Each one is finished in 18K gold and features natural pearls, stones, or hand-applied enamel, so no two are alike. They arrive with a 40 + 5 cm chain, gift-wrapped and within 24–72 hours. You can buy them online in our collection of Virgin of El Pilar medals.
- The most popular: the Virgin of El Pilar medal with natural pearls.
- Green, like the uniform: the amazonite one.
- In the colors of Spain: the ruby and sapphire one or the topaz one.
- For him: the lapis lazuli one, in deep blue.
If you want to learn more, read the history and curiosities of the Virgin of El Pilar and what the Medida del Pilar is.
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