Saint of the day September 9: Saint Mary the Ancient. Catholic Saints | The Catholic Information Agency

2023-09-09 02:00:00

By Central Editorial

September 9, 2023 / 01:09 AM

Every September 9, the Republic of Panama celebrates the solemn feast of its patron saint, Santa María la Antigua.

The story goes that the image of the Virgin that is the center of this devotion was located in one of the side chapels of the old Cathedral of Seville (Spain).

The Cathedral had to be rebuilt in the 14th century, after having been in the power of the Moors until its recovery in the 13th century. The wall where the image was located was preserved in its entirety and later assimilated into the new temple. For this reason it was called Santa María la Antigua.