Our Lady of Consolation of the Abertures

Patrona de Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real)

Patron of Valdepeñas, Our Lady of Consolation of the Abertures was born in a sanctuary of the area of the Abertures; destroyed in 1808, the image was moved to the city, where it is venerated and offered a multitudinary offering of flowers and fruits.

Origin and history

The tradition places the origin of the cult in an apparition of the Virgin in the area of the Abertures, between Valdepeñas, Manzanares and Membrilla, where a hermitage was raised; a account of popular piety. In modern times, there is a devotion to "Santa María de las Aberturas called de Consolación," invoked in public pleas, as in the face of a plague of lobster.

In 1808, during the French invasion, the sanctuary was destroyed and the image was finally transferred to Valdepeñas on May 31, where it was venerated as a patron. It was crowned pontifically (by 2019). His devotion, linked to the comfort and protection of the fields, culminates in a floral offering and with much-involved fruits, with Rosario de la Aurora.

The exact year of pontifical coronation: it is not certain in the sources.