 Church of Our Lady of Europe, Gibraltar
Church of Our Lady of Europe is a Catholic shrine at Europa Point in Gibraltar. It was built on the site of a mosque.
On 20 August 1462, St Bernard of Clairvaux's feast day, the Spaniards under Don Rodrigo Ponce de Leon captured Gibraltar from the Moors. They discovered a small mosque at Europa Point, and converted it into a Catholic shrine in honour of Our Lady as Patroness of Europe. They built a chapel at right angle to the mosque, and the whole area was known as Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. A small statue of the Virgin and Child was installed in the shrine.
For over two centuries, the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe benefited from the ships that pass through the straits. Mariners often came with gifts to the shrine, and they ensured that a constant supply of oil was available for the shrine as well as the tower.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II approved the title Our Lady of Europe as the Patroness of Gibraltar.
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