The Virgin of Suyapa (Spanish: Virgen de Suyapa) is an 18th-century statue (6 cm/2.3 in) of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The statue, also known as Our Lady of Suyapa (Spanish: Nuestra Se±ora de Suyapa), is perhaps Honduras’ most popular religious image, and the focus of an extensive pilgrimage.
The statue is kept in the Baslica de Suyapa in Suyapa, a suburb of the capital Tegucigalpa, and toured through various other parts of Honduras each year in early February. Many thousands of people from all over Central America make pilgrimages to visit the statue on her name day, February 3rd, a commemoration of the day she was found. The statue has been stolen and then recovered on two occasions.
Construction of the basilica, which is famous for its large stained-glass windows, began in 1954; finishing touches were still being added when we visited.