Santo Domingo.- The Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic celebrates today the Day of Our Lady of Mercedes, patron saint of thousands of parishioners who commemorate it this Saturday with walks, religious acts, pilgrimages, processions in cities and rural areas.
Considered since 1844 the “Patron Saint of the Dominican Republic”, Our Lady of Mercedes or the Virgin of Mercy is the oldest saint after having the Marian title of Mercy that dates back to the foundation of the religious order of the Mercedarians on 10 August 1218 in Barcelona, Spain.
On September 24, declared a holiday in the country so that the Catholic population can celebrate and participate in religious acts, although in the Judicial Gazette of the Dominican Republic, there are no decrees or laws that declare the Virgen de las Mercedes as national patron saint.
However, historians record that it was the Governor of Hispaniola, Don Diego Gómez de Sandoval, in the year 1615, who declared the virgin patron saint of Hispaniola, days after the island was affected by an earthquake that occurred on the 8th of September 1615, which caused strong aftershocks for several days.
You can read: Mercedes Day Why do we celebrate it?
According to tradition, the main activities are concentrated in the Santo Cerro de La Vega, also known as Santuario de las Mercedes, located northeast of the municipality, which is also a tourist attraction in the province.
In addition to La Vega, the Virgin is the patron saint of the National District Fire Department and the municipalities of Santiago Rodríguez, Hato Mayor, Cabrera, María Trinidad Sánchez; Constance of La Vega; Imbert, from Puerto Plata and Sabana de Grande de Palenque, San Cristóbal, where religious activities and patron saint festivities are being held.
Activities
This Saturday the activities begin with the Rosario de la Aurora, at six in the morning, which consists of praying the rosary followed by the celebration of mass, at 6:30 in the morning.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Monsignor Francisco Ozoria, will preside over a solemn mass, at 11:00 in the morning, in the Church of Las Mercedes, in the capital. The traditional procession with the image of the Virgin will also leave from there at five in the afternoon and will go through various streets of the Colonial Zone.
The route begins on Las Mercedes street and covers Palo Hincado, passes in front of the Puerta del Conde, and takes Padre Billini and Eugenio María de Hostos streets to then return to the Iglesia de las Mercedes.
Also in the Sanctuary of the Virgin, in the Holy Hill of La Vega, they will carry out numerous activities. As well as parishes across the country.
Source
Historical records say that the devotion to the Virgen de la Merced appeared in Catalonia, Spain and then the tradition spread throughout the country and continued through France and Italy from the 13th century.
As a result of the colonization of America from 1492, the Order of Mercy spread throughout all the countries of the region, establishing the colonizers in Santo Cerro de La Vega.
Other countries
Also celebrated on September 24 is the day of the Virgen de las Mercedes or (Virgen de la Merced) in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, places in the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela
