Our Lady of the Rosary as a Pilgrim

From the earliest days of the Church, the Virgin Mary acted as the intercessor for mankind. During the Middle Ages, devotion to her cult led to extensive building of cathedrals in her name throughout Europe. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, the image of a the Virgin Mary as a tender, maternal goddess figure held great appeal to the local population. The Dominican friars, who were the first to organize missionary expeditions to Peru as early as the sixteenth century, advocated devotion to her cult and the rosary. Indeed, Saint Dominic, the founder of the order in 1215, is said to have received the rosary from the hands of the Virgin in a mystical encounter when she instructed him to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary and seek salvation for mankind through prayer. The word ‘rosary’ originally meant a rose garden and later referred to a garland of roses. Thus the rosary may be considered a garland of prayers to the Virgin as each bead represents a prayer. The present painting depicts the Virgin of the Rosary, but with a unique New World touch—as a pilgrim or Shepherd. The broad-brimmed hat that adorns both Virgin and Child—iconography borrowed from Our Lady, the Pilgrim of Quito—denote her significance as "Sacred Pilgrim," and protectress of both physical and spiritual journeys in the New World.