Our Lady of Codés

Marian title of Torralba del Río (Navarra)

Our Lady of Codés is venerated at the foot of the mountain range of Codés, in a border area between Navarra, La Rioja and Álava, belonging to the municipality of Torralba del Río. Tradition tells that the image and some relics were buried in those mountains to avoid their desecration and, after centuries, were discovered by a pastor in a hermitage covered with thorns, giving beginning to devotion; this story of the finding is transmitted as a legendary origin. Historically, the place could have been related to an ancient Benedictine monastery linked to San Jorge de Azuelo, located between the years 900 and 1008. The cult of the Virgin of Codés began to spread in the 16th century, reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries, entered into crisis by the war of the 19th century and was recovered in the early 20th century.

Main data

Origin and history

Our Lady of Codés is venerated at the foot of the mountain range of Codés, in a border area between Navarra, La Rioja and Álava, belonging to the municipality of Torralba del Río. Tradition tells that the image and some relics were buried in those mountains to avoid their desecration and, after centuries, were discovered by a pastor in a hermitage covered with thorns, giving beginning to devotion; this story of the finding is transmitted as a legendary origin. Historically, the place could have been related to an ancient Benedictine monastery linked to San Jorge de Azuelo, located between the years 900 and 1008. The cult of the Virgin of Codés began to spread in the 16th century, reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries, entered into crisis by the war of the 19th century and was recovered in the early 20th century.

The image and the sanctuary

The image is venerated in the shrine of Our Lady of Codés, built between the 16th and 18th centuries on an earlier construction. The whole is one of the great Marian centers of the peninsular northern quadrant, with devotees in the three border territories.

Sponsorship and coronation

The Virgin of Codés is one of the most venerated Marian advocates in its surroundings, especially in Torralba del Río and in the neighbouring villages of Navarra, La Rioja and Álava. The sources consulted do not detail an official civil patronage formulation or a verifiable canonical coronation date, so both data are recorded as unrecorded.

Party and devotion

Torralba del Río celebrates its rosemary to the sanctuary of Codés, which traditionally opens the calendar of rosemary of the area. Devotion is kept alive through the pilgrimages of the peoples of the three territories that share the Codés saw.

Link to the Rosary

The sources consulted do not reflect a specific link of this advocation to the Rosary, so it is noted as not recorded. However, the Rosary simply accompanies the prayer of the rosemary who go to the sanctuary.