Our Lady of Palera

This image was sculpted for the Church of Santa Maria de Palera, where it remained until 1936, when it was smashed but saved by a neighbour who kept the pieces. Unlike most figures of the Virgin, who are shown crying or with a serious expression, this one is smiling.

She holds a sphere in her right hand, which may well be the globe, an object traditionally borne by the Jesus. The child sits on her left knee, with a book bearing the inscription ’Ave, Maria, gratia plena’, a reference to his mother.