Domingo Orta Pérez
Puerto Rican, born 1929
Our Lady of Montserrat, Miracle of Hormigueros /
Nuestra Señora de Monserrate, Milagro de Hormigueros, 2000
Polychromed wood
17 ½ x 7 ¼ x 6 ½ inches
Lent from a private Florida collection

The theme of Our Lady of Montserrat with the Miracle of Hormigueros is unique to Puerto Rico. According to local tradition, the Virgin of Montserrat appeared to a peasant farmer named Gerardo González in 1599 near the town if Hormigueros in southwestern Puerto Rico. Finding himself face to face with a wild bull, González invoked the Virgin of Montserrat for protection and the bull immediately fell to its knees, as if in prayer. Our Lady of Montserrat is the patron saint of the towns Aguas Buenas, Hormigueros, Jayuya and Salinas where her feast day is celebrated on September 8.