Puríssima Xiqueta de Benissa

Advocación mariana de Benissa (Comunitat Valenciana)

The Purísima Xiceta - the Purísima Niña - has been the patron of Benissa since 1864 and one of the most unique Marian images of La Marina Alta. It is a small size that represents the Virgin Mary in her childhood, a rare iconographic typology in the Spanish ejecution. The most solid hypothesis about its origin is related to the Saco de Roma of 1527: the size would have arrived in Benissa in the 16th century from Italy, possibly brought by soldiers or merchants from the region. Artistic studies link their style to the workshop of the Valencian painter Nicolau Borràs (1530-1610), although there is no coetanea notarial documentation that attains the provenance with certainty. What is documented is the existence of a 16th-century altarpiece in the parish church, in which the image has been central since the very early times. The official patronage was declared canonically in 1864.

Main data

Origin and history

The Purísima Xiceta - the Purísima Niña - has been the patron of Benissa since 1864 and one of the most unique Marian images of La Marina Alta. It is a small size that represents the Virgin Mary in her childhood, a rare iconographic typology in the Spanish ejecution. The most solid hypothesis about its origin is related to the Saco de Roma of 1527: the size would have arrived in Benissa in the 16th century from Italy, possibly brought by soldiers or merchants from the region. Artistic studies link their style to the workshop of the Valencian painter Nicolau Borràs (1530-1610), although there is no coetanea notarial documentation that attains the provenance with certainty. What is documented is the existence of a 16th-century altarpiece in the parish church, in which the image has been central since the very early times. The official patronage was declared canonically in 1864.

Image and sanctuary

The image is preserved in the Basilica of the Pursima Concepción of Benissa, erected by the Holy See in 2022. The temple is the main of this town of La Marina Alta, and the Minor Basilica highlights the honour of this centenary devotion.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patron saint of Benissa since 1864. No canonical coronation is recorded.

Party and devotion

The employers' parties are held at 8 December, solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The most unique liturgical act is the Baixada de la Puríssima: the image goes down hydraulically from the top of the altarpiece to the presbytery, in the presence of the assembly gathered, symbolizing the coming of Mary among her people.

Link to the Rosary

The devotion to the Purísima Xiceta in Benissa has been promoting the prayer of the Rosary for centuries, especially in October and during the novena of the Immaculate.