April 26 - Zaragosa

This morning we travel from Avila to Zaragosa, the capital of Aragon, and the Basilica dedicated to the Lady of the Pillar. Day started out cloudy but improved as we went along. 

Beautiful Colored Dome on Basilica 

Basilica at Night.

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (better known simply as El Pilar) is the second largest church in Spain (second only to the Basilica of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona). The basilica is very beautiful, inside and out. It has eleven colored domes which add to its majesty. This is the first basilica dedicated to Mary.
During the Spanish Civil War in 1936, two bombs were dropped on the Basilica, but neither exploded which some may attribute to the power of Our Lady's protection.

Our Lady of the Pillar

The origin of Our Lady of the Pillar dates back to 40 A.D. when St. James the Apostle was sitting on the bank of the Ebro River, discouraged that he was having such little success bringing Christianity to this region. The Virgin Mary appeared to him and assured him that he would have success. She appeared on a pillar of jasper and left the pillar and a statue to mark the spot where she appeared (the statue was burned in a fire and replaced in the mid-15th century). What is especially unique about this vision is that it was not only the earliest, it also occurred while Mary was still alive. Our Lady of the Pillar is the patron of Spain and is perhaps the most loved shrine to the Blessed Mother in Spain (the equivalent to Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in France). We are so fortunate in this pilgrimage to be able to visit all three sites.


We had Mass in the Chapel of St. Anthony in the Basilica

Jim and Jan Brady. 

After Mass, we all had some rare free time to explore Zaragosa, both before and after dinner. Leslie and I met John Gomez, Jim Drotar, and Jim and Jan Brady in a nearby Irish pub and had a wonderful time discussing our day and the trip so far. 

Leslie Paulonis with Jim Drotar and John Gomez