The Shrine of the Gracious Lady
The Shrine of the Gracious Lady, Mauna, is a large building in the Northeast part of Merida.
The shrine is the final stop on the Pilgrimage that occurs every 5 years to commemorate the Binding of Sestus. The building is large enough to house the monastery of Mauna's disciples (male and female in the Order of the Gracious Lady), a food depository that feeds the hungry and a temple that pilgrims and curious travelers can enter to seek the Gracious Lady's gifts or assistance.
The building was originally just a temple that was large enough to seat 50-100 congregants. As time went on, the disciples of The Gracious Lady and the many devotees who contributed, added a wing to the temple to house the Order of the Gracious Lady. They then went on to build another wing that the order used to serve food to those who were hungry in nearby villages.
While donations and the funds that come in through the country-wide Festival of the Binding help support the Shrine of the Gracious Lady, the bulk of the funds that come into to support the Shrine come from the vineyards that were planted behind the temple and the monastery. The sweet, white wine called Aval Blanc is sold throughout Merida and the proceeds flow back to the Order of the Gracious Lady.
The Order of the Gracious Lady is an order that lives by the motto: Love like the sun, freely and openly. Protect those that cannot help themselves.
This motto is carved into a wooden plaque that hangs above the entrance of the oldest structure, the temple. If you walk through the carefully laid stones that shaped the arched entrance, you will enter the chapel which has wooden pews for people to sit. Every 7th day, the Abbess of the Order: Abbess Brehima, a Huthal, gives the weekly message to those villagers that come from nearby towns.
It should not surprise you that the Abbess is a Huthal, given the motto of the Order. She was an orphan that was raised by the order and decided to stay with it and serve. There are some that have prejudices against the Huthal based on the history and myths of Merida. Some even push back on her overtures, but she is open as the sun and continues to extend the Order's gracious reach throughout Merida.
The shrine is the final stop on the Pilgrimage that occurs every 5 years to commemorate the Binding of Sestus. The building is large enough to house the monastery of Mauna's disciples (male and female in the Order of the Gracious Lady), a food depository that feeds the hungry and a temple that pilgrims and curious travelers can enter to seek the Gracious Lady's gifts or assistance.
The building was originally just a temple that was large enough to seat 50-100 congregants. As time went on, the disciples of The Gracious Lady and the many devotees who contributed, added a wing to the temple to house the Order of the Gracious Lady. They then went on to build another wing that the order used to serve food to those who were hungry in nearby villages.
While donations and the funds that come in through the country-wide Festival of the Binding help support the Shrine of the Gracious Lady, the bulk of the funds that come into to support the Shrine come from the vineyards that were planted behind the temple and the monastery. The sweet, white wine called Aval Blanc is sold throughout Merida and the proceeds flow back to the Order of the Gracious Lady.
The Order of the Gracious Lady is an order that lives by the motto: Love like the sun, freely and openly. Protect those that cannot help themselves.
This motto is carved into a wooden plaque that hangs above the entrance of the oldest structure, the temple. If you walk through the carefully laid stones that shaped the arched entrance, you will enter the chapel which has wooden pews for people to sit. Every 7th day, the Abbess of the Order: Abbess Brehima, a Huthal, gives the weekly message to those villagers that come from nearby towns.
It should not surprise you that the Abbess is a Huthal, given the motto of the Order. She was an orphan that was raised by the order and decided to stay with it and serve. There are some that have prejudices against the Huthal based on the history and myths of Merida. Some even push back on her overtures, but she is open as the sun and continues to extend the Order's gracious reach throughout Merida.
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