Nestled along the Cinca River, the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad has been, for ten centuries, a center of faith and Marian devotion. Throughout her life, many people have turned to the intercession of Our Lady under this invocation. Her devotion spread, especially after the construction of the new sanctuary promoted by St. Josemaría Escrivá, which opened its doors in 1975.
Torreciudad is now a large space that integrates faith, culture, ecology and education. The sanctuary and its surroundings have been renovated, both in its facilities and in new projects such as mobile applications, to offer visitors a complete and up-to-date faith experience. All this with a double objective, as Antonio Qintana, Torreciudad's Development Director, points out: "To adapt the Shrine to the pilgrim of today and to facilitate an authentic and personal experience of encounter with Our Lady. And at the same time, to make possible what the Holy Father indicates that shrines should be: a place of consolation.".
St. Josemaría Escrivá inherited the Marian devotion that, for almost a thousand years, has led thousands of people to pray before the image of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad. His impulse for the new shrine sought to "The Virgin will want to give all those who come to visit this millenary image an abundance of graces. And this is what we see here every day. On the other hand, we have to make understandable and palpable all this spiritual wealth that is manifested in each brick of the sanctuary and, therefore, we have applied a new museography and help anyone to capture that personal encounter with the Virgin", Quintana stresses.
The new areas of Torreciudad
Live the experience of faith
The space Live the experience of faith is located in a space on level -1 under the esplanade. This space offers the visitor a surprising multimedia immersion in which, through 5 areas, various questions and reflections on the great issues of human life are posed: God, freedom, happiness, the Virgin Mary, love... All this to explain the nature of the sanctuary and facilitate an experience of inner renewal.
The "video-mapping" of the altarpiece
One of the most characteristic elements of the new sanctuary of Torreciudad is its altarpiece, made in alabaster by the sculptor Joan Mayné and whose images represent different moments in the life of the Virgin Mary. In the center of the altarpiece is the same Romanesque carving of Our Lady of Torreciudad that was in the old chapel, as well as the tabernacle.
The current possibilities have given rise to a mapping, respectful of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the altarpiece, which narrates, in the form of a dialogue between Our Lady and St. Josemaría, the different scenes that make up this altarpiece. The basic idea of this great audiovisual projection is love and the different ways in which it manifests itself: through service, sacrifice, work and dedication.
"An ancient devotion"
The exhibition space has also undergone changes in recent years. An ancient devotion. The old historical exhibition on Torreciudad has completely renewed its contents and has opted for an interactive presentation in dialogue with the visitor. The tour begins with the medieval origins of the devotion to Our Lady of Torreciudad, a Romanesque carving of great beauty and serenity in which the Child is shown seated on the knees of his Mother as if on a throne, and which was enthroned in 1084. The written, photographic, infographic and audiovisual information of these ten centuries of devotion is combined with agility to provide an attractive and lasting experience of knowledge.
The Virgin in the center
Another of the spaces that have been renovated in the project of the sanctuary is the gallery of images of the Virgin from all over the world. For decades, groups of pilgrims have been bringing to Torreciudad images of various advocations of Our Lady: from Our Lady of El Rocío, to the Virgin of Guadalupe, etc. This gallery is one of the most valued and visited places of the sanctuary where pilgrims can contemplate a wide selection of images grouped according to geographical and mariological criteria. They also have at their disposal two large touch screens where they can search for photographs of the rest of the Patronesses that have been delivered to the sanctuary over the years.
The sanctuary is part, along with the sanctuaries of Pilar, Lourdes, Meritxell (Andorra) and Montserrat, of the well-known "Marian Route". It is one of the most important religious tourism destinations in Europe and forms a route that combines culture and devotion, art and spirituality, and nature.
Marian devotion also gave rise, in 2002, to the Mariological Institute of Torreciudad, fruit of an agreement between the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra and the Patronage of Torreciudad. Its purpose is to promote Mariological studies and to contribute, from a scientific perspective, to the dissemination of Marian devotion, and its main activity is the publication of the yearbook Scripta de Maria.
The sanctuary on the cell phone
Entering the Sanctuary of Torreciudad is now much easier and interactive thanks to its mobile application. It is a complete guide designed to facilitate the preparation and the maximum use of the visit. Pilgrims and visitors can easily access information and photographs of all the places of interest in Torreciudad. With the GPS and Bluetooth functions activated, the application itself informs the user about what is being contemplated in each place.
The application is especially useful in those parts of the sanctuary with images based on Christian devotions, such as the mysteries of the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross or the Sorrows and joys of St. Joseph, which are scattered throughout the environment. For these pious exercises, texts are offered that help to meditate on these scenes and to dedicate some time to prayer. It also explains how to live the custom of lighting candles to the Virgin and tying ribbons next to her image, both traditional acts of the visits to the sanctuaries of the Virgin.
The sanctuary of Torreciudad receives, every year, thousands of people from all over the world who come to the feet of the Virgin on pilgrimage, convivences or private visits. The Family Days are especially well known, at the beginning of September, when hundreds of families gather at the sanctuary. With the arrival of the pandemic, "MisaTorreciudad" became one of the main Google searches. Thanks to the digital media, thousands of people continued their life of piety with daily or Sunday Mass from the Shrine. Antonio Quintana recalls that "Before the confinement, we had already set up the streaming system to make it easier for people with disabilities to participate in the Mass. When the total confinement came, we arranged things so that we could offer several Masses a day. The Council of European Bishops' Conferences took notice as we were one of the few to offer it in streaming, reaching more than 2.5 million people. Later, thank God, other parishes and shrines joined in, expanding the offer so that anyone who wanted to could attend, even virtually. It was overwhelming to see the church closed and empty, but at the same time, knowing that millions of people were listening to us and that we were giving a great service to the Church. We still continue to do so, especially for the countries of South America that still live in severe confinement. We have received many messages every day of gratitude and conversions, of return to Christian practice and of desires to come, as soon as possible, to thank Our Lady for so many favors. The Virgin of Torreciudad, even telematically, always showers her graces.".
