Our Lady of the Incarnation of Peñarroya

Santuario-castle of Guadiana · patron of Argamasilla de Alba and La Solana

In a hospital castle next to the Guadiana, the shrine of Peñarroya guards a Virgin whose tradition dates back to 1198; shared patron of Argamasilla de Alba and La Solana, who come in Romeria to the fortress.

Origin and history

The castle of Peñarroya is a fortress of Christian origin linked to the Order of San Juan, documented in 1215 as "Santa María del Guadiana," in the so-called Campo de San Juan. In its interior, the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Incarnation was built in Baroque times (XVII- XVIII centuries) with baroque altarpiece and mural paintings. The tradition places the finding of the image on September 8, 1198; the primitive size was lost in the Civil War.

The Virgin of Peñarroya is a shared patron of Argamasilla de Alba and of La Solana, who venerate her with multi-secular romaneries to the Sanctuary-castle: that of Argamasilla on the last Sunday of April, and the cults of La Solana from September.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.