During the days preceding every 2nd August, Costa Rica is a river of pilgrims heading for Cartago, for the basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. Unofficial calculations speak of two or two and a half million pilgrims, out of a population of fewer than five million people in the whole Republic. Many of them go on foot. For the inhabitants of the Capital, San José, the way consists of little more than 20 kilometers of mountainous terrain, but there are many pilgrims who cover hundreds of kilometers on foot from other parts of the country.
The mantle
Backside of the Recollect mantle Embroidering the Virgin’s mantle has become a whole tradition. Until recently, the custom was to try all of them on her in the area outside the basilica, but because of the time this took and the great number of mantles which arrived, it was thought that it would be better to choose one some days before, and it has been done in this way for ten years, as the journalit Yaslin Cabezas, writing in CRHoy, explains in her column “Vestir a la Negrita. Arte y tradición”.
“There were periods when around 1.700 mantles were received, and it was very difficult to try them all, so we decided to do things like this”, declared Father Francisco Arias to the Costa Rican digital news publication. The mantle which suits the Virgen best is chose, provided that the material from which it is made is not very rough and could harm the statue. Liturgically it should be white or ivory-coloured, and golden emblems or ornaments usually stand out on it. The mantle which is displayed this year was presented as a thanksgiving by the Augustinian Recollects, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their arrival in Costa Rica. It was designed by David Conejo, a young Costa Rican who is preparing to join the Order. He is 20 years old and lives in the postulants’ house of St. Ezekiel Moreno, in Pozos de Santa Ana, to the west of the Capital, San José. David’s devotion has led him to design twenty of so mantles since he was seven years old.
On this occasion he himself made the proposal to the superior of the Augustinian Recollects, Víctor González, that he should present the shrine with a mantle in commemoration of the Golden Anniversary.
Devotion and apiñes
Last August 2nd, la Negrita wore the mantle designed by David, who relates it in an e-mail sent to the official website of the Order. “The mantle will be placed on the statue during Mass on 1st August, so I dedicated every effort to designing each one of the details: the hems, the Marian monogram; and I incorporated the logo which I had also proposed for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary. This mantle was special, therefore I had to take care over each of its elements. On 1st August I saw before my very eyes the realisation of what I had dreamed of so much –the Patroness of Costa Rica was dressed in one of my mantles, and to this was added the great joy of 50 years of effort, dedication and service to God and the Church of the Augustinian Recollects in our country”.