Our Lady of Light

Patrona and Mayor of honor of Cuenca

Next to the Júcar, in the district of San Antón, the Virgin of Light, an ancient black Virgin patron of Cuenca, is venerated; its name evokes the light of a candile that, according to tradition, encouraged Alfonso VIII's troops in the conquest of the city.

Origin and history

The advocation has medieval roots: the image is a black Virgin venerated from at least the Middle Ages by the bridge and the river, which in the 16th century appears as "Santa Maria de la Puente." The present temple began in 1523, the work of Fra Agustín de Montalvo, and was concluded in 1764 under José Martín de Aldehuela, the main architect of the baroque conquest, very close to the place of the primitive hermitage.

The tradition tells that, in the siege and conquest of Cuenca by Alfonso VIII in 1177, the king and his troops saw a lamp on in a small cave next to the Júcar; that light, interpreted as a sign of the Virgin, gave rise to the title of Our Lady of Light. Patrona and Alcaldesa de honor de Cuenca, was canonically crowned on 1 June 1950, following a popular request of more than thirteen thousand signatures; its party is held on the same day.