Image of the Virgin Mary left untouched after explosion in Peru

Amid the devastation caused by a powerful explosion in Trujillo, northern Peru, one family has spoken of their faith being renewed after a sacred image of the Virgin of the Gate was found unscathed.

The blast, which took place late on 14 August in the La Libertad region, injured ten people and damaged around 90 homes, according to Peru’s Housing Minister, Durich Whittembury. Authorities said the target was a building on Avenida Perú whose owner had been threatened by the criminal gang “Los Pepes,” who demanded one million soles (approximately £215,000) to spare him and his family.

The government has pledged full assistance to those affected. Minister Whittembury confirmed that windows and doors will be replaced, and that a rebuilding programme will be introduced for four to six homes now in danger of collapse. Peru’s Interior Minister, Carlos Malaver, also visited the scene to oversee the deployment of the national police.

Yet amid the destruction, a striking survival has become a source of consolation for many in Trujillo. According to the Peruvian news agency Andina, an urn containing a replica of the Virgin of the Gate remained intact inside the home of Mrs Ana María Almadoz, even as every other window of the house was shattered.

“Because everything was dark, we didn’t notice the urn at first,” Mrs Almadoz told Andina. “Then my daughter realised that the glass in the urn was intact, even though all the other windows were destroyed. We think it’s a miracle from our mother who protects us.”

Mrs Almadoz added that the devotion in her family has been passed down through generations: “This image was given to my father 30 years ago. Everyone here is very devoted to the Virgin of the Gate, and although we cannot always go to Otuzco, we celebrate her feast day at home.”

For Trujillo’s Catholics, who once endured the violence of Shining Path terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s, the recent attack recalled dark memories. However, the survival of the Virgin of the Gate’s image has also rekindled trust in divine protection.

The Virgin of the Gate (Virgen de la Puerta) has long been a focus of Catholic devotion in northern Peru. Her principal shrine is in the hill town of Otuzco, some 45 miles northeast of Trujillo. In 1942, Pope Pius XII conferred on her the title Queen of Universal Peace, while in January 2018 Pope Francis named her Mother of Mercy and Hope during his apostolic visit to Peru.

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(Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images)

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