Our Lady of the Street

"La Morenilla" · Patrona de Palencia

Patroness of Palencia and lovingly known as "the Morenilla," the Virgin of the Street is to be seen in the old church of the Company; her feast of February 2, the Candelaria, fills the city with devotion.

Origin and history

The church where it was venerated was built by the Society of Jesus between 1584 and 1599 - hence its popular name - under the title of Saint Lawrence. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, the temple became a parish-sanctuary when the image of the Virgin of the Street was placed in it, which was previously worshipped in the church of the Candelas. The titular size dates back to the 15th century, and the title "de la Calle" has been documented since at least 1494.

The tradition relates the title to an image of the Virgin on the outside of the Candelas church, before which the faithful prayed when the temple was closed. A pious legend speaks of a baker who threw into the street a log of oak that would have "spoken" - "of the street the Virgin will be one day" -, at whose end the size was recognized, which would explain the name and appeal of "the Morenilla," by the dark tone of the image.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.