Juan Diego was born around 1474 in what is now central Mexico and, after the Spanish conquest, converted to Christianity in adulthood. According to a tradition first recorded in the following century, in December 1531 he experienced a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary on a hill called Tepeyac near Mexico City, who identified herself as the Mother of God and asked that a church be built on the site.
When the local bishop asked for a sign to confirm the apparitions, Juan Diego is said to have gathered roses that miraculously bloomed out of season, and when he opened his cloak to present them, an image of the Virgin was found imprinted on the fabric — the image now venerated as Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world. Juan Diego spent his remaining years as caretaker of the chapel built there, and was canonized in 2002.
Saint Juan Diego
Visionary of Guadalupe
An indigenous Mexican man to whom, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in 1531 as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Born
- 1474
- Died
- 1548
- Birthplace
- Cuauhtitlán (in modern Mexico)
- Died in
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Country
- Mexico
- Canonised
- 2002-07-31
- Century
- 16th century
Categories
Why People Pray to Saint Juan Diego
Saint Juan Diego is invoked by indigenous peoples and those who feel overlooked or unworthy, drawing on the story of an ordinary man entrusted with an extraordinary message.
