Numerous pilgrims and even some devotees or even parishioners have a question in their mind, who is the young man kneeling beneath the image of Our Lady of Aranzazu? It is quite noticeable the man wearing a long sleeve, with a sling bag, in a kneeling position with his flock behind him whenever we see the image of Our Lady of Aranzazu on her main retablo or wherever she is.
An 1895 sketch of Rodrigo from the book/album “Santuarios Guipuzcoanos” by Angel Pirala
His name is Rodrigo de Balzategui. He is the young man behind the word “Aranzazu”. He exclaimed Arantzan zu?! A Basque word which means “Thou, among the thorns?” that gave rise to the name “Aranzazu” when he discovered the image of the Virgin in the thorn bush, in the mountain of Aloña in Oñate, Spain on June 11, 1469 whereas the northern part of Spain at that time was experiencing severe drought. Rodrigo is a shepherd residing in Uribarri, the second district of the City of Bilbao (Biscay) in Spanish Basque country. Some historical accounts described him as a “young” shepherd.
At this time, the existence of Rodrigo’s image is important to the entire iconography of Our Lady of Aranzazu because it depicts the apparition scene in 1469. However, there is only limited information available about Rodrigo’s identity that can only be found in some history books regarding the Virgin of Aranzazu. Perhaps because Rodrigo is not well-known like the other visionaries of the Virgin Mary such as Saints Bernadette Soubirous, Juan Diego, Catherine Laboure, and along with others.
Beyond that, we must recognize Rodrigo for being the instrument to proclaim God’s mercy and the love of our dearest mother, Our Lady of Aranzazu to all her children. Exposing Rodrigo’s image will help to preserve his legacy and the reminiscence of the 1469 apparition that is the most significant part of the history of the beginning of our devotion. Rodrigo is not just only part of the history books, but he is an existing witness that will remind us by looking at the image of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu with the kneeling young man: Rodrigo. (Christian Robles)
Christian Jasper Robles
Senior Writer, Website Team - Media Ministry
Christian is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Communication at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He is a member of the writer’s team of Aranzazu Media and Public Information Ministry. A singer, performer, writer, church servant, and a Marian devotee. Currently, he is the secretary of Association of Our Lady of Aranzazu- Cofradia and member of Avant-Garde Singers. Passionate about writing different local religious traditions and Mariology matters; Christian is strongly dedicated in promoting and propagating the devotion to Our Lady of Aranzazu.
