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Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy), Barcelona, Spain
History
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In early August of 1218, St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymund of Penafort, and James, King of Aragon, each had a vision of the Virgin Mary asking them to found a religious order devoted to freeing Christian captives from the Muslims, who still held much of Spain. The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy grew quickly, collecting alms for ransom and sometimes offering themselves in exchange for prisoners. The statue of the Mother of God of Mercy in Barcelona (right) dates from the 1300s. She became the city's patron saint after saving it from a plague of locusts in 1687. Before the counter-reformation, the Mercedarian Order celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Ransom on August 1, the date when she showed St. Peter Nolasco their white habit. The Vatican changed the date to September 24 when it extended the feast to the entire Church in 1696. Since Vatican II, Catholic observance of Our Lady of Mercy's day is limited to places and organizations that claim her as patron. Meanwhile, the Mercedarians have changed their mission to teaching and chaplaincy, and the Barcelona soccer team visits the Basilica of La Mercè after victories in thanks for her help. Her fiesta in Barcelona is a spectacular sequence of processions, dances, music, games, and fireworks. (Information from "Festa de la Mare de Déu de la Mercè," Arquebisbat de Barcelona, www.arqbcn.org/merce/index.htm. Image from www.tiempodepoesia.org.)
Source: http://www.wherewewalked.info/feasts/09-September/september_24.htm
Description
She is dressed all in white: over her long tunic she wears a scapular with the shield of the order imprinted breast high. A cloak covers her shoulders and her long hair is veiled by a fine lace mantilla. Some images have her standing, with the child in her arms, or carrying two bags of coins for use in ransoming Christians imprisoned by Moors. In yet others he is shown with her arms extended showing a royal scepter in her right hand and in the left some open chains, a symbol of liberation.
Approval
No formal investigation was performed by the Church to confirm this apparition. The Order of Mercedarians was approved by Gregory IX under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. A feast day was instituted and observed on September 24th, first in this Order of Our Lady, then everywhere in Spain and France. It was finally extended to the entire Church by Innocent XII.