When the Virgin Mary returned to her cathedral

On September 29, 1238, after 18 months of siege, the Muslims who occupied Valencia, Spain, capitulated to King James I of Aragon, called the Conqueror.

On October 9th, the king ordered the re-dedication of the ancient Visigothic cathedral that had been turned into a mosque. Thus the cathedral was returned to Catholic worship and dedicated once more to the Virgin Mary.

In memory of that day, every year on October 9th, Valencia holds the celebration of "Valencian Glories" (las Glorias valencianas) that includes singing a solemn Te Deum (“Glory to God”) in the cathedral. However, for the past three years, city officials haven’t attended or entered the cathedral during the festival, not wanting to offend Muslims or to be seen to endorse any particular religion.

The archbishop of Valencia, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, presided over this ceremony and said in his homily: "We celebrate with immense joy the restoration of the Catholic faith in Valencia, which had been eliminated from public sphere under the domination of the Muslim invader."

Source: Medias Presse Info