Lubango – Some 4,500 people, one thousand more than in 2023, are expected, on the 15th of this month, at the sanctuary of “Nossa Senhora do Monte”, during the pilgrimage to the Patroness of the city of Lubango, in Angola’s southern Huila province.
The sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of Monte) in the city of Lubango, at the top of the “Serra da Chela”, is an important historical and religious symbol of the region.
This year the pilgrimage, which has its genesis in 1901, bears the motto 'Mother of the Mount, support us on the Synodal Path'.
The event is part of the 122nd edition of the traditional Festivities of Our Lady of Monte, opened on the first day of the month. The pilgrimage and the outdoor mass of thanksgiving mark the high point of the festivities.
Speaking to ANGOP, the assistant of the Shrine of Our Lady of Monte, Father Francisco Artur, stressed that the motto chosen for this edition aims to instill in society and families, which as a church and humanity, must follow the same path.
He said that for the festivities of Our Lady of Monte, this year, the church has drawn up a program with specific activities, including visits to some parishes in the city of Lubango.
Historical portrait of the pilgrimage
The Festivities of Our Lady of Monte began to be celebrated in 1901, a replica of those of Madeira, Portugal, the land of the settlers who were based in the region.
On August 15, 1902, with the chapel still under construction, the parish priest celebrated the outdoor mass on the esplanade, in front of an image of Our Lady of the Conception, taken from the parish.
Once the construction was completed, with the image of Our Lady of the Mount acquired in Porto (Portugal) and installed on the altar, the chapel was blessed on August 14, 1903 by Father José Martins, representing the Bishop of Angola and Congo.
The image of Our Lady of the Conception was offered by a settler named Venâncio Rodrigues who acquired it in Porto, Portugal, to fulfill a promise.
On 14 August 1903 the blessing of the completion of the works was made by the local parish priest, on behalf of the Bishop of Angola and Congo. From this date on, it began to gain a lot of faithful and it became a tradition to make a pilgrimage to the chapel.
In order to give more visibility, from the entire village of Sá da Bandeira, today the city of Lubango, the current chapel was conceived and designed by João Henrique de Azevedo, having been inaugurated in 1921.
From the 30s onwards, the image of Our Lady began to be taken to the Cathedral of Lubango, known for the candlelight procession. BP/MS/DOJ
