The etymology of dedication leads us to the Latin word advocatĭo. The concept is used to name the protection, protection and defense of a town or entity by a saint or a divinity.

For example: “The founder of the city put the town under the dedication of San Marcos”, “This school is protected by the dedication of Mother Mary”, “The temple owes its name to the dedication of Our Lady of Mercy “.

According to Digopaul, the idea of dedication is also used to name the celebration that is held in honor of a religious figure. This commemorative intention can also be expressed through an entity that takes the name of the divinity in question.

It is usual for a city or a nation to have a protective virgin or a patron saint. Said dedication is due to the intention of obtaining protection from the religious entity.

The notion of dedication, on the other hand, is used with reference to a particular period of the divine individual’s existence or to the exact moment in which he made his appearance in a certain place. By extension, there is talk of devotion to the images of divinity and to the particular days on which tribute is paid.

It is important to know, in addition to all the above, that we come across the fact that there is also what is called Marian dedication. This term is used to refer to all kinds of attributes, characteristics, gifts or even appearances that have to do with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Specifically, we can determine that two fundamental types of Marian invocations are being established:
-The earthly ones, which refer to the apparitions that the Virgin is considered to have made on Earth. Appearances that precisely later give rise to the construction and standing of sanctuaries, chapels and churches in her honor. Thus, for example, we come across the fact that there are temples for this reason such as that of Covadonga, in the town of the same name; that of Pilar, in Zaragoza, or that of Veracruz, in Mexico, for example.
-The mystical Marian advocations. In this case, they refer to the supernatural phenomena or mysteries and acts that revolve around the aforementioned figure.

Precisely all of the above is what has given rise to the existence of a long list of names for women that use Mary as the first noun. Examples are María Dolores, María del Carmen, María de Lourdes, María de las Mercedes… These names, which in turn are based on advocations of the Virgin, must be established that start from the idea of ​​naming the mother of Jesus simply in another way.

Lastly, in antiquity, dedication was used as a synonym for advocacy. Based on this meaning, dedication is associated with protection or guardianship: “The project is carried out with the dedication of the Superior Council of the Arts”, “Without the dedication of the technical secretary, this project will not prosper”.