Arrival of the Virgin of Pilar to Zaragoza and apparition to the apostle Santiago

The painting represents an episode that Marian tradition places in the year 40 A.D. Santiago el Mayor and his disciples were in the city of Zaragoza when, on the bank of the Ebro river, they heard the voices of angels singing Ave María gratia plena, thus announcing the apparition in mortal form of the Virgin Mary on a jasper column that encouraged the apostle to spread her worship across Spain and to build a temple in the place of the event.

The 'sacred simulacrum' marks the central axis of the composition, distinguished by a large halo. In the lower half, the kneeling Apostle St. James stands out, characterized by the staff in his right hand and the pilgrim's shells on his left shoulder. He forms a group with the seven men he had converted (in fact, there are only six visible). According to tradition, their names were: Torcuato, Tesifón, Cecilio, Iscio, Segundo, Indalecio and Eufrasio. In the composition the diagonal interplay of baroque style is evident, although the sense of color and the definition of the postures and faces are stylistically more advanced. The bright and vivid tones remind us of those of The Preaching of St. Bernardine of Siena (1781-1783).

There is also a close relationship between the two old bearded men in white robes and the apostles of the dome of Regina Martyrum in the Basílica del Pilar in Zaragoza (1780-1781).