Catholic Marian shrine and parish church at Europa Point, Gibraltar.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine at Europa Point, Gibraltar. Dedicated to Our Lady of Europe, patroness of Gibraltar, it belongs to the European Marian Network, which links twenty Marian sanctuaries across Europe, matching the number of decades in the Rosary.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine of Gibraltar, located at Europa Point. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Europe, the Catholic patroness of Gibraltar. It forms part of the European Marian Network, which links twenty Marian sanctuaries in Europe, as many as the number of decades in the Rosary. At the beginning of the 14th century, during the Moor period of the town, a small mosque was erected at Europa Point. During the first Spanish period, from 1309 to 1333, this mosque was turned into a Christian shrine. On 20 August 1462, the Spaniards recaptured Gibraltar from the Moors and again converted the little mosque into a Christian shrine in honour of Our Lady as Patroness of Europe. A large chapel was built at right angles to the mosque’s east wall and the whole area became the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. A small wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, polychromed in royal red, blue and gold, was installed in the 15th century. The shrine later suffered attacks, looting and damage, but remained an important Catholic place of worship and identity in Gibraltar.
