When is Our Lady of Coromoto?
In 2026, Our Lady of Coromoto falls on Friday, September 11, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Our Lady of Coromoto
Our Lady of Coromoto is venerated by Venezuelan Catholics as the country’s patroness, with the devotion centred on Guanare in Portuguesa state. Tradition places Marian encounters with the Indigenous chief Coromoto in 1652 and connects the story with a small sacred image preserved by the Church. The narrative belongs to a colonial setting of missionisation, Indigenous resistance and cultural encounter, a context that deserves acknowledgement alongside devotional belief.
The Venezuelan episcopate proclaimed Our Lady of Coromoto the country’s patroness in 1944, and Pope Pius XII confirmed the title. The image received a canonical coronation on September 11, 1952, providing the anniversary used here. The National Shrine near Guanare is the principal pilgrimage destination, while parishes across Venezuela celebrate Mass and Marian devotions under the same title.
September 11 is not among the nationwide non-working days listed in Article 184 of the Organic Labour Law and should not be presented as a public holiday. It is a religious observance whose services, pilgrimages and local events depend on church and regional schedules. This distinction preserves both the devotion’s national importance and the calendar’s legal accuracy.
How Our Lady of Coromoto is observed
Our Lady of Coromoto Day is a national Catholic observance rather than a statutory holiday, centred on Masses, pilgrimages and Marian devotion in Guanare and other parishes.
Traditions of Our Lady of Coromoto
Pilgrimage to Guanare
Pilgrims travel to the National Shrine in Portuguesa state, where the devotion’s Venezuelan history and sacred image receive particular attention.
Mass for Venezuela’s patroness
Catholic parishes celebrate liturgies and prayers under the Coromoto title, often asking for the country and its communities.
Processions with Marian images
Local congregations may carry decorated images, pray the rosary or organise parish gatherings according to diocesan schedules and resources.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Venezuela cultural, civic or religious guidance. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Venezuela may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Venezuela Organic Labour Law, Article 184 (official gazette text), Venezuela National Holidays Act, Official Gazette No. 29,541, Ministry of Popular Power for Culture, Encyclopaedia Britannica: History of Venezuela, Ministry of Culture: Our Lady of Coromoto.
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