Bread of heaven: Water stain in the shape of the Virgin Mary appears on bakery car park wall sparking rush of worshippers praying for the end of coronavirus in Colombia
- The stain was noticed a few days ago and has now become an impromptu shrine
- Workers at the bakery believe the Virgin is protecting them from coronavirus
- Some say the mark is water damage, while others believe it is a ‘miracle’
A water stain shaped like the Virgin Mary is drawing crowds in Colombia as the faithful flock to pray for protection from COVID-19.
The stain was first noticed a few days ago in the car park of a bakery in Bogota by the shop’s security guard as he made his rounds.
Since then, the unlikely holy site has become a place of worship for devotees eager to see the Virgin Mary-shaped silhouette.
Flowers, candles and fairy lights adorn the space, alongside a statue of the Virgin sitting on a makeshift altar.
A water stain shaped like the Virgin Mary has appeared in the carpark of a bakery in the Colombian capital, Bogota
Flowers, candles and fairy lights adorn the space, alongside a statue of the Virgin sitting on a makeshift altar. Some have said the image is simply the result of water damage, while others in the devoutly Catholic country consider it to be a ‘miracle’
The image is drawing crowds as the faithful flock to pray for protection from COVID-19. Bakery workers said they believed the Virgin was protecting them from coronavirus as none of the workers had been infected
‘Every day, between 50 and 60 people come here. Before buying something (in the bakery), they visit the spot and pray, and somehow it is really important for them and us,’ bakery worker Lorena told Noticentro, a Colombian newspaper.
She added that many in the devoutly Catholic country believe the stain is a ‘miraculous figure’ and not something created randomly by humidity as many people have said.
Lorena said that ‘it could not have been from a leak’ and rejected claims it was wall damage, adding ‘it is a miraculous image’.
The Virgin Mary – revered by Catholics – is commonly portrayed in white and blue ropes with her hands open in a welcoming pose. The water stain in Bogota appears to resemble the silhouette of most depictions of the Virgin
She said that she believed the Virgin was protecting the bakery as none of the workers had contracted coronavirus.
‘That is exactly what most people pray for’, she said, adding that many devotees pray that they stay safe from the coronavirus.
Colombia reported 7,612 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 1.16million in the country where 33,148 people have died from the disease.
Infobae reported that the discovery of the bakery’s Virgin came just days after Colombian actress Carolina Sabino shared a photo of what she believed to be the Virgin of Guadalupe – patron saint of the Americas – in a strawberry desert she had made.
The Virgin Mary is revered by Catholics around the world, including in Colombia where more than 80% of people identified as Catholics, according to a 2014 US report.