Our Lady of Souls

Patrona de Ávila

In the Amblés valley, a few kilometres from Avila, the shrine of Sansol collects one of the most entrenched devotions of the province; it is a pilgrimage tradition asking for a desire and barefoot to the door before entering.

Origin and history

The place had a primitive hermitage, probably from the time of the Reconquest, of which there is nothing left. In the face of its poor state, a brotherhood was founded to rebuild the temple; the current construction dates back to the 15th century, with a major reform in 1684. It is one of the main Marian shrines of Avila, with a large influx of pilgrims from the city and the province.

The pious tradition says the image would have been hidden before the Muslim invasion and discovered in the 11th century. The name "Sonsoles" is explained by several traditions: the legend of some pastors who, in the light of the Virgin, exclaimed "They are soles!"; the version that derives it from the passage of the relics of Saint Zoyo ("San Zoles") in 1080; or the philological hypothesis of "Fons Solis," the source of the sanctuary. It is a pilgrimage tradition to ask for a desire and to banish at the door as a gesture of humility; in its interior very unique exvotes are preserved.

Canonical coronation and dating of the current size: do not accurately record in the sources.