Our Lady of Bethlehem

Patrona de Almansa (Albacete)

At the foot of the Mugron saw, about twelve kilometres from Almansa, the shrine of Bethlehem keeps the patron of the city; a small size brought from Rome in the 16th century, called old in the prayers for rain and honored with two roseries each year.

Origin and history

The tradition dates back to the very ancient times, but the safe documentation begins in the 16th century: according to local sources, in 1515 John Sanchez of Bethlehem brought from Rome a small Marian size that was venerated in a primitive hermitage, and in 1540 the traditional vote of St. John of May was moved there. The work on the expansion of the sanctuary, at the foot of the Mugrón saw, ended in 1627, when the patron member passed to the council of the village and the first request known to the Virgin is documented for rain in time of drought.

The Almansa council declared her patron in 1644, and Pope Pius VII later ratified her patronage, with reference to a brief 1804. Its most characteristic devotional note is the double annual rosemary - of the transfer and return of the image between Almansa and the sanctuary, around May and September - and its role as a protective patron, especially invoked in the begging for rain. In 2025 the diocese celebrated the centenary of its coronation.

The liturgical festival itself and the exact year of canonical coronation: they do not record with safety in the sources.