Ceferino Calderón Albaladejo
Puerto Rican, born 1911
Our Lady of Mount Carmel / Nuestra Señora del Carmen, around 1982
Polychromed wood
12 11/16 x 6 3/16 x 4 5/8 inches
Lent from a private Florida collection

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel originated with the Virgin Mary's apparition over the Holy Land in the form of a small rain cloud that disappeared over the sea. Her cult of worship gained momentum following her appearance in the thirteenth century to Saint Simon Stock, founder of the Carmelite Order, who named her the “Star of the Sea.” Patroness of sailors, fishermen and seaports, she is usually shown holding the Christ Child and dressed in the habit of the Carmelite order—a white cape over a brown tunic. She is one of the most popular manifestations of the Virgin Mary in Puerto Rico where lullabies invoke the safety and protection of her mantle. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patron saint of the towns Arroyo, Barceloneta, Cataño, Cidra, Culebra, Hatillo, Morovis, Río Grande and Villalba where her feast day is celebrated on July 16.