Pilar

Pilar is the Spanish word for “pillar.” As a female personal name, Pilar has been used traditionally in honor of the Blessed Mother, i.e., María del Pilar (“Mary of the Pillar”) or Nuestra Señora del Pilar (“Our Lady of the Pillar”). According to Spanish legend, in the middle of the 1st century – in the very early days of Christianity – the Virgin Mary appeared as an apparition before St. James the Greater, one of Jesus’s Twelve Apostles. In the vision, which took place in Zaragoza, Spain, Mary was standing on top of a pillar surrounded by angels. She assured James (who was discouraged by his lack of converts during his missionary trip to Hispania, then a province of the Roman Empire) that the people would convert and the strength of their faith would compare to the pillar upon which she stood. She left the pillar and instructed the apostle to build a church where it stood. Not surprisingly, the spot where Nuestra Señora del Pilar appeared became a place of pilgrimage for Christians in the Middle Ages.  An impressive nine day festival is still celebrated in her honor in Zaragoza around her Feast Day of October 12. 

 

The cult of Mary is incredibly important in Spanish Catholic tradition and has given birth to several female names in celebration of Our Mother. Just consider some of the following examples: Our Lady of the Light (Luz), Our Lady of Mercies (Mercedes), Our Lady of Solitude (Marisol, Soledad), Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolores), Our Lady of the Altar of Heaven (Araceli), Our Lady of the Conception (Concepción), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Corazón), Star of Mary (Estrella), Our Lady of Peace (Paz), Our Lady of Milagros (Miracles) and Our Lady of the Rosary (Rosario). Not to mention location names where Mary’s apparition is said to have appeared and have since become places of pilgrimage: Guadalupe (Mexico City), Carmen (Mt. Carmel, Israel), Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France) and Monserrat (Catalonia). Basically, Milagros is another Spanish female name that celebrates the Mother of Jesus among Catholic Hispanics worldwide.  

 

Pilar is another example of a female personal name given in the Virgin Mary’s honor. The pet form of Pilar is Pili.