Our Lady of Grace

Patrona de Archidona (Málaga)

In the Cerro de Gracia, on Archidona, a sanctuary raised on a site of deep history - Roman, Visigodo and Muslim - keeps Our Lady of Gracia, patron of the city.

Origin and history

Local tradition links the image to a miraculous appearance in the place where today the sanctuary rises. The documentation places the hermitage in the 15th century and relates it to the conquest of Archidona by the Catholic Kings in 1485; the building sits on a long-standing enclave, with Roman, Visigod and Muslim prints, and even on an ancient mosque.

What is verifiable is that the place of worship takes advantage of a unique position on the hill and retains elements of different historical phases of the enclave. The narrative of the appearance belongs to tradition. The Virgin of Gracia is the patron of Archidona, with rosemary on the last Sunday of April, and the sanctuary is the center of popular recognition and devotion of the city.

Canonical coronation does not consist of the sources consulted.