Short
Description
This is an easy off-set cache
designed to introduce to those who do not know of it, the story of
the Black Madonna. The description below refers to the legend which
began in 14th century Spain in the province of Cáceres. This cache
is based on one of the shrines that were founded in that period
throughout Europe, which has recently been restored and opened to
the public.
The Chapel opening hours
are:
2nd May - 30th September
1030-1300; and 1400-1830:
1st October - 30th April
0930-1300 and 1400-1700.
It is officially closed on
every Monday, and on National Holidays: May 1st; December 25th and
January 1st.
It is not necessary to go during opening hours to find the cache,
but it is worth a visit to the chapel.
NOTE: There is now a charge to enter the chapel and grounds, which
some have found very interesting, but it is NOT necessary to enter
to solve the clue.
PLEASE NOTE THE FINAL CACHE IS OUTSIDE THE GROUNDS OF THE CHAPEL
AND CANNOT BE REACHED FROM INSIDE!!
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Extremadura)
This article is about the
Spanish statue.
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Extremadura)
The shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was the most
important Marian Shrine in the medieval kingdom of Castile . It is
revered in the Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, in today's
Cáceres Province of the Extremadura autonomous community of
Spain.
The shrine housed a statue reputed to have been carved by Luke
the Evangelist and given to Saint Leander, archbishop of Seville by
Pope Gregory I. When Seville was taken by the Moors , a group of
priests fled northward and buried the statue in the hills near the
Guadalupe River in Extremadura.
At the beginning of the 14th Century, a shepherd claimed that
the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and ordered him to ask priests
to dig at the site of the apparition. Excavating priests
rediscovered the hidden statue and built a small shrine around it
which evolved into the great Guadalupe Monastery .
Pilgrims began arriving in 1326, and in 1340, King Alphonso XI
took a personal interest in the shrine's development, attributing
his victory over the Moors at the Battle of Rio Salado to the
Virgin's intercession. Our Lady of Guadalupe, along with Santiago
de Compostela and Nuestra Señhora del Pilar became rallying points
for the Christian Spaniards in their Reconquista of Iberia.
In 1386, the shrine was commended to the Hieronymites, who
turned the popular devotion to the figure into a genuine cult.
Copies of the statue were venerated in satellite chapels
probably including this one in Vila do Bispo, Algarve.
A theory that the name of the Mexican Lady of Guadalupe derives
from the Extremadura figure is based on similarities between the
apparition stories and the provenance of many Conquistadors,
including Hernàn Cortes, from the Extremadura region.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of three Black Madonnas in
Spain.
Long
Description
The given coordinates will
take you to the Chapel. There is a small charge to enter the Chapel
and grounds. Please do not climb into the grounds if the gate is
closed. I have had complaints from the caretaker that some damage
was done to the fence, and although there is no proof that it was
Geocachers, he seemed to infer that it was.
This cache is designed to introduce you to the beautifully restored
and unique 13th Century chapel devoted to the Black Madonna, who
was known by other names throughout Europe. The cache formerly
required you to enter the grounds and the chapel, but since they
have started charging admission even to set foot inside the
grounds, I have decided to leave that as an option, though very
worthwhile.
The cache can be found by visiting the entrance gate, and
reading the notice board.
On the board it states in English "The Hermitage is
devoted to the cult of the ......" and in Portuguese "Ermida
dedicado ao culto da ........"
If the name of the cult has 15 letters then the cache is at N37º
05.041 and W008º 51.978
If the name of the cult has 17 letters then the cache is at N37º
05.051 and W008º 51.988
If the name of the cult has 19 letters then the cache is at N37º
05.061 and W008º 51.998
REMEMBER: The final cache is OUTSIDE the grounds of the chapel.
Take the time,if you are interested, after
finding the cache to examine the chapel in more detail. There is a
very unusual boss in the vaulting, and the peculiar assymetry of
the building is interesting - no door nor window is in the exact
centre of a wall - even opposite pillars are different widths as
are the distances of the pillars from the walls behind the altar.
The popular myth giving the reason for this is that 'Only God is
Perfect' so these discrepancies were built in to represent human
imperfection.
May you be Blessed by Our
Lady.