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ESPAÑA Spain
Andalucía Andalusia
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Real Santuario de la Santísima
Virgen de la Cabeza



4703 Virgen de la cabeza The pilgrimage church Basílica y Real Santuario de la Santísima Virgen de la Cabeza is located in the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park on the mountain called Cerro del Cabezo, about 10 km north of Andújar in the province of Jaén, and about 192 km northeast of the Andalusian capital, Sevilla.

The pilgrimage church goes back to an image of the Virgin Mary, which according to legend comes from the apostles. Based on the style of the painting, it could date back to the 5th century. During the Moorish occupation, it is said to have been hidden on the Cerro del Cabezo mountain. An apparition of the Virgin Mary led a shepherd to the image, after which the church was built. The sanctuary was built here between 1287 and 1304 in Gothic style. At the end of the 16th century it was expanded to its current size. The beginnings of the traditional procession on the first Sunday in April are thought to date from this time. Since 1930, the veneration has taken place all year round. It is one of the oldest pilgrimages in Spain. The venerated statue of the Virgin Mary was canonically crowned and declared patron saint of Andújar by decree of Pope Pius X in 1909. During the Spanish civil war, the church was completely destroyed. After the war, the church was rebuilt in 1943. Pope John XXIII declared the Virgin patron saint of the diocese of Jaén in 1959. In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI bestowed on the church the rank of a Basilica minor. [see list of other Basilicae minores depicted on glasses of this collection]

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallfahrtskirche_Virgen_de_la_Cabeza]


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