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56-480: The name "La Altagracia"' meaning the "High Grace" commemorates a painting, Our Lady of Altagracia , which was brought to this area from Spain in the early 16th century. Numerous miracles are attributed to the image. Currently it is the leading province of the country in terms of tourism. This province is serviced by the Punta Cana International Airport , which is the most important airport on

112-519: A bishop in 1692, but devotion had probably begun a century or two earlier. One story said that the venerated image is based on an appearance of Mary to a young girl in Spain, and that the painting was brought to Hispaniola by two brothers when the Spanish were establishing a colony; another says that a girl on the island had a dream of the "Virgin of Altagracia," prompting her father to find the image and bring it to

168-412: A cabin, but the next morning the image had disappeared, reappearing in the same rock. The girl tried to take the image several times but the same thing always happened until the people of the place heard the story, and when they dug under the rock they found the image that is venerated today in the hermitage that they built in her honor. Monsignor Juan Pepén in his book " Dónde floreció el naranjo " (Where

224-456: A crown made in the goldsmith's workshop of José Oliva, modeled by the great Dominican artist Abelardo Rodríguez Urdaneta. In 1924 Congress decreed the celebration of Our Lady of Altagracia as a national holiday on January 21. On October 31, 1927, Pope Pius XI declared it a holiday of the Church, through an apostolic brief . During the first visit of Pope John Paul II on January 25, 1979, he blessed

280-736: A decree of King Don Felipe the First, year of 1506, in which he entrusts the Governor of this island to accommodate them. There are various legends about the origin of the Virgin of Altagracia in the Dominican Republic. It was in Extremadura, in the town of Garrovillas de Alconetar , where the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a shepherd girl on top of a rock. The girl took the small image in her bag to

336-567: A fish that is in danger of extinction, and is a refuge for migratory ducks. Tourism is one of the main economic activities in the province. It has first-class international hotel complexes, which places it in one of the main tourist destinations in the Caribbean and the entire Latin America region, which represent a very important source of income for the province, the destinations of Bávaro and Punta Cana being especially well known. The province also has

392-505: A mandatory holiday be established on January 21; the date of August 15 might have been chosen, except that it was already the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary . In the Dominican Republic, the official declaration of January 21 as a non-working day, a national and religious holiday throughout the country, was approved by law. This was executed during the government of Horacio Vásquez , who

448-519: A national monument. This basilica is a large structure in the shape of a Latin cross. The entrance door is made of gold-plated bronze and was blessed by Pope John Paul II in Rome. It has a bell tower with 45 bronze bells. La Altagracia is the second largest province in the country with an extension of 3,010.34 km (1,162.30 sq mi). This province limits to the north with the Atlantic Ocean , to

504-458: A notable economic activity based on extensive cattle ranching and agriculture. It is estimated that it has around 775,000 hectares of the province are dedicated to cattle ranching, which places it as the second province in the largest number of cattle. Agricultural activity comes hand in hand with the production of sugar cane and rice, as well as the production of corn, beans, and different foods such as cassava, plantain, yams and sweet potato. Fishing

560-596: Is a legal entity in its own right consisting of two bodies: the alcadía (Mayor's Office), with the alcalde ( Mayor ), and the Municipal Council ( concejo de regidores ), with at least five members ( regidores ). The Municipal Council is an exclusively normative, regulatory and supervisory body, the Mayor's Office the executive one. The mayor is a voting member of the Municipal Council. He and his deputy, as well as

616-472: Is also common on the coastal areas, not only as a traditional economic activity, but also as a tourist and sports activity. In the 2010 census, La Altagracia had a population of 273,210 inhabitants, of which 143,010 were men and 130,200 women. Of the total population, 77.8% of the people corresponded to the urban population and 22.2% to the rural population. The most populated city is Higüey with an urban population of 147,978 inhabitants, which represents 54.2% of

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672-585: Is on January 21 because on that day in 1691 the Battle of Sabana Real took place in the eastern part of the island of Santo Domingo, where the Spanish army, headed by Antonio Miniel, defeated the French army. The French had seized the island of Tortuga and in 1690 Santiago , causing the governor and captain Gral. Ignacio Caro to organize a column under the command of Francisco Segura y Sandoval. Military preparations were made in

728-504: Is the Queen of Heaven, and a veil on her head because she is married to Joseph. She is dressed in red, white and blue. The red, according to the experts, she wears because she is a beautiful human being; the white because she is a woman conceived without sin; and the blue cloak because "the power of the Most High will come upon you" (c.f. Luke 1:35) and because she is the queen of heaven. In front of

784-836: Is the story about the Trejo brothers that seems the most logical because, “they come from Extremadura; there the Altagracia is popular; It is known that when leaving the homeland each one took with him the devotion to his region; These two brothers settled in Higüey on the Island of Hispanola; there they took the image of the Virgin of their devotion.” [REDACTED]   Argentina [REDACTED]   Spain [REDACTED]   Panama [REDACTED]   Dominican Republic [REDACTED]   Venezuela [REDACTED]   Peru [REDACTED]   Mexico Municipalities of

840-571: Is used for a particular image of Mary with the baby Jesus in a manger. Her patronal feast day is January 21, a holiday/non-working day in the Dominican Republic on which many faithful devotees of the Virgin come from all over the Dominican territory to the Basilica-Cathedral of Our lady of Altagracia , in the province of La Altagracia . Devotion to her is also prominent in areas outside of

896-728: The Catholic Church , founded on the Twelve Apostles. Behind her stands out a great star, the same one that accompanied the Biblical Magi , to make the Savior known to them. Her mantle is dotted with sixteen small stars. Behind it there is a column, which means that the cave or manger of the birth is a temple because God himself, the baby Jesus, lives there. Brothers Alfonso and Antonio Trejo, from Plasencia , in Extremadura , Spain were two of

952-610: The Sanctuary of Altagracia (today Basilica of Higüey, Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia ) and on October 12, 1992, on his second visit to the country, John Paul II personally crowned the image of the Virgen de la Altagracia with a gilded silver diadem. On August 15, 2022, she was presented with a golden rose sent by Pope Francis at the closing celebrations of the centenary of her canonical coronation. The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia began in Higüey and spread over

1008-403: The regidores and their deputies, are elected by the electorate on the occasion of elections held nationally every four years. If a municipality consists of more than one urban center , the additional centres may be elevated to the status of municipal district ( distrito municipal ), with the remaining district of the municipality called cabecera (main municipality). The administration of

1064-534: The Dominican Republic [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The municipalities of the Dominican Republic are, after the regions and the provinces , the third level of the political and administrative division of the Dominican Republic . The division of provinces into municipalities ( municipios ) is established in the Constitution and further regulated by Law 5220 on the Territorial Division of

1120-450: The Dominican Republic where Dominican influence flourishes, including New York City, where her feast marks the beginning of Dominican Heritage Month. The image of the Virgin of Altagracia shows symbols and imagery that are important in Marian devotion, including Jesus in a manger, a crown of stars and a mantle of stars for Mary, and symbolic colors. The feast day was officially established by

1176-429: The Dominican Republic. It was enacted in 1959 and has been frequently amended to create new provinces, municipalities and lower-level administrative units. Municipalities may be further divided into secciones (literally: sections) and parajes (literally: places or neighborhoods ). Municipal districts ( distritos municipales ) may be formed in the case of municipalities with several urban centres. The provinces as

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1232-516: The Mother is the Christ Child , naked, asleep on straw and well behind him is Saint Joseph , dressed in a red cape and with a candle in his left hand. The figure of Mary is posed in an attitude of adoration, with her hands joined in the form of an arch. On her chest there is a kind of white lightning in the shape of a triangle — an expression of the virgin birth of Jesus — that rises from the manger where

1288-511: The Orange Tree Bloomed), cites the testimony of Juan Elías Moscoso in 1907, who speaks of a Spanish colonizer who lived in the Villa of Salvaleón de Higüey around 1500. He made a living by selling cattle, so he often traveled to the city of Santo Domingo. At least one account identifies the cattle dealer as one of the Trejo brothers. According to Juan Pepén in his book " El Padre ", on one of

1344-540: The Pope Benedict XV on behalf of Mons. Adolfo Alejandro Nouel , it was the newly elected pope Pius XI who sent as his representative Archbishop Sebastián Leite de Vasconcellos, titular archbishop of Damietta, Roman count and eminent figure of the Portuguese episcopate. For the occasion, the image that was transferred from the sanctuary of San Dionisio was framed in gold and adorned with precious stones and crowned with

1400-588: The Republic was proclaimed in 1844, the Central Government Board designated it as a common part of the Department of El Seibo . It was not until 1959, during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo , that the province of La Altagracia was officially created, occupying the eastern part of what belonged to the province of La Romana , which at that time was called Altagracia already for in 1945 when Higüey

1456-532: The Sabana Real, and using the element of surprise, the Spanish-Dominicans defeated the French. The Spanish fought from a disadvantaged position but triumphed regardless. The majority of those who made up the militias came from the areas of El Seybo and Higüey, and the faith they professed in the Virgin of Altagracia was present, since they were practitioners of the devotion to her. Before entering combat early in

1512-463: The Sanctuary of Altagracia) by Pope John Paul II during his 1979 visit. Similarly, Pope Francis sent a golden rose to honor her in 2022. The image is a painting on cloth, and is about thirteen inches by eighteen inches. It seems to have been painted by an unknown Spanish artist around the turn of the fourteenth century. It is set in an ornate frame made of gold, enamel, and precious stones. The frame

1568-463: The arrival of the Virgin in the colony by Canon Luis Gerónimo de Alcocer says: The miraculous image of Our Lady of Altagracia is in the town of Higüey, about thirty leagues from the City of Santo Domingo;...it is clear that two noblemen from Pacencia in Extremadura brought her to this island, named Alonso and Antonio de Trejo who were among the first Christian settlers of this island, noble people as stated in

1624-419: The case of the unknown Virgin, expressing his sorrow at the prospect of returning home without item that his daughter had requested. An old man also staying there, heard the story and took from his bag a parchment of a painting of Altagracia. The old man gave him the painting, a beautiful image that showed Mary adoring a newborn who was at her feet in a cradle. When dawn arrived, the girl's father went looking for

1680-448: The child sleeps almost to the shoulders of the Mother. Mary's face is serene, with her eyes lowered, indicating neither seriousness nor sadness, but rather joy and peace, in an attitude of meditation. Her head is covered with a dark blue veil that reaches her shoulders and with a pearl crown, symbol of her status as queen, for being the Mother of the King and around twelve stars, which represent

1736-407: The country and eleven to the Caribbean. Among the marine species native to this park are turtles, dolphins, and manatees . The park is located on a peninsula trapezoidal in shape and measures 310 square kilometres (120 sq mi), also incorporating Saona Island . The park has hiking trails that connect to caves and springs . The Bávaro lagoon is the habitat of the cyprinodon nichollsi ,

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1792-835: The country. Towards the north are the foothills of the Eastern Cordillera, where the Old Hill rises, which with its 736 meters (2,415 ft) high is the highest in the province. In the province there are three protected areas: the Eastern National Park, the Bávaro lagoon, and the Maimón lagoon. The National Park of the East (also known as Cotubanamá National Park ) is the habitat of a varied terrestrial, marine and bird biodiversity, of which 112 species have been recorded, eight of which are endemic to

1848-554: The eldest daughter, but he was sorry for not having found the Virgin de la Altagracia for the younger girl, since even though he looked everywhere for the Virgin, he could not find her. He even went to ask the Canons of the Cabildo and the Archbishop himself, who answered that there was no such devotion. Passing through the town of Los Dos Ríos, he stayed overnight at an inn, where he described

1904-464: The first European settlers to Santo Domingo . They had family in Garrovillas de Alconetar and were acquainted with the veneration of the image in a nearby monastery. The picture they brought to Hispaniola is of the Spanish school, painted c.1500. They brought the picture to the island some time prior to 1502 and eventually donated it to the parish church of San Dionisio at Higuey. A 1650 account about

1960-480: The grace of the Lord". From there the people began to venerate her, as the mother of God. As of that date, the fervor of Dominican Christians for their mother spread throughout the island, as the numerous miracles that the Virgin of Altagracia performed on the island spread, thus beginning the tradition of the Dominican people to visit every 21 of January the basilica of Higüey, where her image is found. The date of January 21

2016-403: The image of Altagracia was taken to the colony. According to some historians, the Virgin first appeared in an event that occurred to a Spanish peasant from the autonomous community of Extremadura. The farmer said that he was walking through the forest when the Virgin Mary appeared to him at the height of the branches of a tree, hence her name "Lady of Altagracia" or "Virgin of Altagracia coming from

2072-552: The island. By 1505, Juan de Esquivel conquered the Taino chiefdom of Higuey and founded a fortress which he converted in 1506 by order of Ovando into a town, calling it Salvaleón de Higuey. Years later, by Royal Privilege dispatched from Seville on December 7, 1508, this town was awarded the coat of arms. During the Spanish colonial period, Higüey remained as the Parish of the Seibo party. When

2128-432: The man's trips to Santo Domingo, his two daughters asked him to bring back gifts: his eldest daughter asked him to buy her dresses, ribbons, and lace; by contrast, his youngest daughter only asked him to bring her the image of the "Virgin of Altagracia," since she had seen this Virgin in a dream. To everyone, this seemed strange, since no one had heard of such a Virgin. When the girls' father set out to return, he had gifts for

2184-543: The morning, the Spanish-Dominicans implored the help of the Virgin of Mercy under the title of the Lady of Alta Gracia , so that by her grace she would help them to be victorious. There is also a version that says that the Spanish asked the Virgin of Altagracia to help them win the battle. On January 21 they held a great religious festival for the veneration of Altagracia, although her festival should be on August 15, because on that date

2240-416: The municipal district is the responsibility of a municipal district office ( junta municipal ), which includes the director ( director ) and a municipal district council ( junta de vocales ) with at least three members ( vocales ). The director and his deputy, as well as the vocales and their deputies, are elected by the electorate on the occasion of elections held nationally every four years. They represent

2296-544: The municipal district to the municipality and are subordinate to it. If a municipality is further divided into secciones , the municipal council appoints an alcalde pedáneo for each of them. He reports to the mayor or, if his sección is in a municipal district, to its director . If the municipality is further divided into parajes , the municipal council appoints an ayudante del alcalde pedáneo for each of them. Municipalities are often given special designations because of their number of inhabitants: ciudad ( city ) in

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2352-478: The municipalities and municipal districts of other provinces see the list of municipalities and municipal districts of the Dominican Republic . Our Lady of Altagracia Our Lady of Altagracia or the Virgin of Altagracia , (Our Lady of High Grace) in Catholic Marian devotion , is a title of Mary by which she is honored as the “protective and spiritual mother of the Dominican people.” The title also

2408-448: The municipalities and municipal districts with population figures as of the 2014 estimate. Urban population are those living in the seats ( cabeceras literally heads) of municipalities or of municipal districts. Rural population are those living in the districts ( Secciones literally sections) and neighborhoods ( Parajes literally places) outside them. The population figures are from the 2014 population estimate. For comparison with

2464-425: The old man, but the old man never appeared again. Juan Pepén recounts that the girl met her father in the same place where the old sanctuary of Higüey is located today and that there, on January 21. At the foot of an orange tree, she showed the image to those present, establishing that day the venerated cult of the Virgin of Altagracia. Some historians say that the official festival of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia

2520-613: The painting is the Star of Bethlehem , which has eight points and symbolizes heaven and has two rays extending towards the manger. Above the Virgin there are twelve stars, which represent the tribes of Israel and, at the same time, the Apostles in the New Testament . Around Mary there is a glow, corresponding to the description in Revelation 12:1. La Altagracia wears a crown on her head because she

2576-507: The second level of political and administrative division contain at least two municipalities. The Distrito Nacional , which is neither a municipality nor a province, consists of only one municipality, Santo Domingo (Constitution: "the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán is the Distrito Nacional" ). According to the Constitution and the law, the municipalities are administered by the municipality's Municipal Office ( ayuntamiento ), which

2632-639: The south with the Caribbean Sea , to the east with the Mona channel and to the west with the provinces of La Romana and El Seibo . The most important river in the province is the Yuma, other rivers of consideration are in Duey, Maimon, Chavon , Anamuya, Sanate and Yonu. La Altagracia is part of the coastal plains of the Caribbean, so the southern part of the province presents a relatively flat relief in contrast to other regions of

2688-455: The total in the province. This province had an average annual growth rate in the 2002–2010 period of 5.1%, being the province with the highest growth in the country and being above the national growth rate, which was 1.2%. In the previous period (1993–2002), La Altagracia also had the highest population growth in the country. In the 2022 census, La Altagracia had a population of 446,060 inhabitants, of which 222,866 were men and 223,194 women. Of

2744-408: The total population, 76.8% of the people corresponded to the urban population and 23.2% to the rural population. The most populated city is Higüey with an urban population of 327,886 inhabitants. The province as of June 20, 2006, is divided into the following municipalities ( municipios ) and municipal districts ( distrito municipal - M.D.) within them: The following is a sortable table of

2800-529: The village of Salvaleón de Higüey around 1500. The Virgin's intercession is credited for victory of a Spanish-Dominican force over a French force in 1691. In the 20th century, this devotion was given various forms of affirmation and approval, including the Dominican Congress' declaration of an official holiday, a papal declaration by Pius XI , and a blessing of the Basicilia-Cathedral (then called

2856-464: The years until it became national and became part of the Dominican identity. This devotion manifests itself as the main pilgrimage of the town. According to the Dominican historian Alejandro Paulino Ramos, Altagracian devotion began in the mid-16th century in Hispaniola , both in the area of Santo Domingo and in the then town of Higüey. The historian highlights the fact that the main day of her devotion

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2912-455: Was August 15 at that time, because on that date the image of Altagracia was brought to the island and that it should be celebrated in the city of the East because, according to the traditions, it was the place where God wanted her to be, although others affirm that it was the place where the Trejos brothers established themselves since their arrival on the island. According to Bishop Ramón Benito, it

2968-462: Was a devotee of the Virgin. The pilgrimage and celebration of the festival of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia dates from the colonial period . In the 20th century, Our Lady of Altagracia was crowned twice: during the pontificate of the pope Pius XI and personally by the pope John Paul II . Her first coronation was on August 15, 1922, at the Puerta del Conde . Having previously obtained the permission of

3024-511: Was declared an official religious holiday by Archbishop Isidoro Rodríguez Lorenzo, who, in 1692, designated the date as a religious holiday, approving as good and valid the feast on January 21. However, it was during the leadership of Monsignor Arturo de Meriño, Archbishop of Santo Domingo , that the Holy See was asked to grant a Divine Office and designated Mass for the day of the Virgin of the Altagracia. The authorities were begged, in addition, that

3080-458: Was elevated to a province under the name of Altagracia. The Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia is located in Higüey and is one of the most important religious monuments in the Dominican Republic. It is the place of invocation of the Virgen de la Altagracia. The basilica was inaugurated on January 21, 1971, to replace the old sanctuary built in 1572. On October 12, 1970, it was declared

3136-512: Was made by an unknown eighteenth-century artisan, and is considered one of the finest examples of Dominican goldwork. Restoration work was done in Spain in 1978 after centuries of exposure to candle smoke and handling. The image depicts an infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It presents the scene of the Nativity of Jesus , with Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem . The maternity of the Virgin is emphasized. In

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