Our Lady of the Guide

Sanctuary of the Monte da Guía · Vigo (Pontevedra)

On the top of Mount da Guía, looking at the river of Vigo, a hermitage guards the Virxe da Guía, protector of the sailors, who went up to offer him exvotes in the form of ships.

Origin and history

At the summit of Mount da Guía - an ancient romantic herb - there was a 16th-century hermitage dedicated to the Virgin of the Snow, which also served as a visual reference for the ships entering the river of Vigo. The present hermitage was reconstructed in 1951, according to the project of Manuel Gómez Román, dedicated to the Virgin of the Guide and the Sacred Heart, and integrated into a parquet-mirador with Via Cruces.

Their devotion is strongly linked to the sea: the sailors go up in Romeria - on August 5 - asking for protection in navigation and offering exvotes, traditionally boat models. It is recalled the custom of some women sailors to go up to the roof to change the direction of the tiles, wishing to "change the wind" for the early return of their own.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.