Santa María de la Vega

Patron saint of Salamanca

Patrona de Salamanca, the Virgin of Vega is a beautiful Roman image from the end of the 12th century, today on the main altar of the Old Cathedral, whose cult has been accompanying the city for over eight centuries.

Origin and history

The advocation has been documented in Salamanca since the 12th century, and the size dates to the end of that century, so it is a Romanesque image. It was first venerated in the Romanesque monastery of Santa María de la Vega, next to the Tormes; it then passed to the church of San Polo and the convent of San Esteban, and in the early 20th century it moved to its present location, the main altar of the Old Cathedral.

From the Middle Ages he was the object of a strong devotion linked to the protection of the city, and in the 17th century his recognition as a patron, which he shares with Saint John of Sahagún, was consolidated. His September 8 party opens the Fairs and Fiestas of Salamanca. The tradition gives him the protection of the city in 1706, during the War of Succession, when the Salmantinos were entrusted to their patron in the attempt to take the city.

The exact date of proclamation as a patron and canonical coronation: they do not record with certainty in the sources.