Amongst the more colourful religious festivals in Venezuela is the 'Procesion de la Divina Pastora', patron saint of the province of Lara. A statue of the 'divine shepherdess' undertakes the five kilometre route leading from Santa Rosa to Barquismeto, capital of the province, accompanied by celebrants, musicians and devotees.
The statue of the virgin remains in the provincial capital until Easter, when she returns back to Santa Rosa for another year.
At the heart of the story of this virgin lies a divine misunderstanding. The story began in turn-of-the-17th century Seville, Spain, where a devout Capuchin monk by the name of Isidoro de Sevilla experienced a detailed dream-vision of a 'holy shepherdess'. Within days he commissioned a painting of the vision from a renowned local artist, Miguel Alonso de Tovar, who finished the work, entitled the 'Divine Shepherdess of Souls', two months later. Soon the likeness of the virgin was reproduced as a statue, which in October 1705 made its first appearance in a public procession. The fame of the statue spread to Venezuela, where the Bishop of Barquisimeto ordered a likeness of the Virgin for his Church. At the same time, the priest of Santa Rosa ordered an image of the Immaculate Conception for his church. Orders were confused and upon arrival it was found that the two images had been switched around and the divine shepherdess had arrived in Santa Rosa. When local Indians, sent by the bishop of Barquismeto, tried to move the box it suddenly became inexplicably heavy and impossible to lift. The Bishop of Barquisimeto, after some deliberation, declared that it was the will of the virgin that she be worshipped in Santa Rosa and from 1736 that church became her dwelling-place and sanctum.
The procession between the two cities itself dates back to 1856, when an epidemic threatened to decimate the population. The celebration was instituted in order to invoke the aid of the saint in combatting a ferocious epidemic that was sweeping through the area. The ritual had its intended effect and the epidemic was stopped: ever since then the divine shepherdess has been the appointed patron saint of the region.
Event details can change. Please check with the organisers that the event is happening before making travel arrangements.
