Our Lady of Fuentesanta of Zorita

Advocación mariana de Zorita (Extremadura)
✔ Recognized by the Church

Our Lady of Fuentesanta (Holy Spring) is the patron saint of Zorita (Cáceres), on the route from Trujillo to Guadalupe. Tradition tells that some pilgrims on their way to Guadalupe, exhausted and dying of thirst, received a visit from a Lady who told them to dig, and miraculous water sprang from the earth: that Lady was the Virgin Mary, and there the devotion and the holy spring were born.

Main data

Origin and history

Our Lady of Fuentesanta (Holy Spring) is the patron saint of Zorita (Cáceres), on the route from Trujillo to Guadalupe. Tradition tells that some pilgrims on their way to Guadalupe, exhausted and dying of thirst, received a visit from a Lady who told them to dig, and miraculous water sprang from the earth: that Lady was the Virgin Mary, and there the devotion and the holy spring were born.

The image and the sanctuary

It is venerated in its hermitage at the Holy Spring, next to the traditional spring. The legend of its discovery is distinct from the fact of its centuries-old cult.

Patronage and coronation

Patron saint of Zorita and its surrounding area. No canonical coronation is recorded.

Celebration and devotion

Their festival, "La Velá," is celebrated from August 15th to 17th, with the procession of the Virgin Mary down to the town. Devotion to their patron saint is a defining characteristic of the town.

Link with the Rosary

Like the water that sprang up for the thirsty pilgrims, the Rosary prayed before the Holy Fountain quenches the thirst of the soul with the grace that Mary bestows.