The Miracles of Our Lady

[1] The work is a collection of exempla about twenty-five reported miracles of Mary, mother of Jesus, written around 1260 in a sort of Spanish dialect called Riojan.

The sources used by Gonzalo de Berceo were various collections of tales about the miracles written in Latin.

The book helped to promote Marian devotions among the people by making the subject easier to understand for the people of his time, but it contains many unorthodox elements that give Mary powers of resurrection or the ability to save sinners from Divine Judgement.

It is set in an idealized natural scene, which symbolizes the virtues and perfections of the Virgin.

At the end of each story there is a moraleja (moral) or teaching to make the advantages of devotion to Mary apparent to the listener or reader.