Our Lady of the Rock

Patrona de Fuerteventura · Vega de Río Palmas

In the Vega de Río Palmas, a tiny size of Gothic alabaster - of the oldest Marian images of the Canary Islands - is the patron of Fuerteventura, brought by the Norman conquerors in the early 15th century.

Origin and history

The image is a small size of alabaster of about 21 cm, of French Gothic style, dated in the 15th century and brought to Fuerteventura by the Norman conquerors around 1402; it is one of the oldest Marian images of the archipelago. The devotion is documented at the end of the 15th century - in 1497 the hermitage of Malpaso is mentioned - and the feast of December 18, of the Expectation, has been held since 1599. The present sanctuary was built between 1705 and 1716 and has been a Good of Cultural Interest since 1985.

He was recognized as a patron of the island in the second half of the 17th century, sharing the patronage with the Purísima Concepción de Betancuria. The tradition of the Virgin appeared in the Barranco de la Peña: San Diego, looking for a clear friar, found him saved by the Virgin, and when the rock hit the white figure of the Virgin with the Child. His island pilgrimage on the third Saturday of September brings together pilgrims from all over the island.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.