Biblian, Ecuador: Shrine of Our Lady of Rocio

 

The story of Our Lady of Rocio:

In the late 19th Century, this area of Ecuador was in the third year of a drought that had brought misery and despair to the local populace. They turned to their local priest, Fr. Daniel Munoz, and asked him to lead a procession through the streets of the town. However, Father Daniel had had a dream of a different location, and instead, led a procession with a small statute of the Blessed Mother and Child Jesus to the spot around 1,000 feet above the town that he had seen in his dream.

On January 20, 1894 he placed the statue there amidst prayers for rain. The next morning found the surrounding fields covered with dew. From that date onward rain became plentiful and crops flourished.
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The people called Our Lady “Our Lady of the Dew” and a magnificent Basilica was built there. The statue was canonically crowned on the centennial celebration on January 20, 1994.
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About the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rocio

Built into the side of a cliff, the church is truly magnificent. Imposing from the outside yet simple on the inside, as you can see from the photo above. There is no official website for the sanctuary.
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Traveling to Biblian:

The nearest major city is Cuenca. There are buses from Cuenca to Biblian, or you can also take a taxi. There is no train service.
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Address: Av Daniel Muñoz, Biblián
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GPS coordinates: 2° 43′ 6.2688” S, 78° 52′ 56.1792” W
 
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