Basilica of Guadalupe

Q: What is the Basilica of Guadalupe?

The Basilica of Guadalupe is a distinguished Roman Catholic church complex located in Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, a northern neighborhood of Mexico City . The basilica was erected near the spot where four apparitions of the Virgin Mary (as Our Lady of Guadalupe ) are said to have been received by an Indigenous convert named Juan Diego in December 1531, with the command that a church be built in Mary’s honor. One of the chief religious centers in Mexico, the basilica is a major pilgrimage site.

Q: Why is the Virgin of Guadalupe significant in Mexican history?

Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in Mexican religious life and serves as one of the country’s national and cultural symbols. She became the patroness and protector of New Spain in 1754 and later became interwoven with the Mexican independence movement in 1810. She is the patron saint of Mexico and all of the Americas.

Q: Where is the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe kept?

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is housed in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City . According to tradition, the image miraculously appeared on the tilma (cloak) of St. Juan Diego in 1531. Today it is displayed above the main altar of the New Basilica, where millions of pilgrims come to venerate it annually.

church, Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico

Also known as: Basilica de Guadalupe, Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe(Show More)

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 13, 2026 •History

What is the Basilica of Guadalupe?

Why is the Virgin of Guadalupe significant in Mexican history?

Where is the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe kept?

Basilica of Guadalupe, Roman Catholic church complex that is the chief religious center of Mexico, located in Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, a northern neighborhood of Mexico City. The basilica was erected near the spot where four apparitions of the Virgin Mary are said to have been received by an Indigenous convert named Juan Diego in December 1531. According to tradition, Mary instructed Juan Diego to have a church built in her honor, and during the last apparition her image miraculously appeared on the inside of his tilma (cloak). The image became known as Our Lady of Guadalupe and helped hasten the conversion of the Indigenous people of Mexico to Christianity. In 1754 a papal bull made the Virgin of Guadalupe the patroness and protector of New Spain, and in 1810 she became the symbol of the Mexican independence movement when the patriot-priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla raised her image on his banner.

The religious complex includes two principal churches, known as the Old Basilica and the New Basilica. The Old Basilica, constructed on the site of an earlier 16th-century church, was finished in 1709 and was granted the status of a basilica by Pope Pius X in 1904. When this basilica became dangerous because of the sinking of its foundations, a new church was built nearby. Completed in 1976, the New Basilica was designed by Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and several collaborators. Its striking circular design, topped by a broad, tentlike roof, allows thousands of worshippers to view the original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, now housed above the main altar. The building can accommodate approximately 10,000 people. In 2026 Pope Leo XIV granted a special jubilee year, beginning October 12, to mark the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the New Basilica.

Each year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world visit the Basilica of Guadalupe, one of the holiest sites in Mexico. Particularly large crowds gather on December 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.