Our Lady of Araceli

"Taller than the sun" · Lucena, Córdoba (Spain)

On the saw of Aras, dominating the Cordoba countryside, the shrine of Mary Most Holy of Araceli crown one of the highest points in the region: therefore they call it "the highest than the sun."

Origin and history

The Royal Araceli Sanctuary rises on top of the Aras saw, about six kilometres from Lucena, in a high location that gave rise to its popular title "higher than the sun." The devotion to Mary Most Holy of Araceli was deeply rooted in Lucena and spread throughout the countryside, until she was proclaimed patron of the city and of the Andalusian Field.

The Aracelitan Festivities, around the first Sunday of May, are the heart of the Lucentine religious year: the low image of the sanctuary to the city between crowds for the solemn function and procession, before returning to its throne of the saw. Romeries, ups and downs are a devotion of great popular fervor.