Our Lady of the Chapel

Patrona de Jaén

The tradition places the origin of devotion in the apparition of the Virgin on the night of June 10-11, 1430, while a procession of begging was held, the image being placed on a few walks to the gate of the city, the Gate of the Angel. Historically, devotion is already witnessed in the 15th century, and the story appears in subsequent documents and chronicles; however, the core of the apparition is considered a local pious tradition, not seen as a historical fact in the modern critical sense. It is therefore appropriate to distinguish the traditional account from the apparition of the documented data, which is the antiquity of the cult in Jaén.

Main data

Origin and history

The tradition places the origin of devotion in the apparition of the Virgin on the night of June 10-11, 1430, while a procession of begging was held, the image being placed on a few walks to the gate of the city, the Gate of the Angel. Historically, devotion is already witnessed in the 15th century, and the story appears in subsequent documents and chronicles; however, the core of the apparition is considered a local pious tradition, not seen as a historical fact in the modern critical sense. It is therefore appropriate to distinguish the traditional account from the apparition of the documented data, which is the antiquity of the cult in Jaén.

The image and the sanctuary

The image is venerated in the Minor Basilica of San Ildefonso de Jaén, where there is the so-called Chapel of the Virgin, which gives name to the advocation. The temple is one of the most devotion Marian centers in the Jiennese capital.

Sponsorship and coronation

He is the principal patron of Jaén, along with the Virgin of the Head, who is the patron of the diocese. His canonical coronation took place on 18 June 1930, presided over by Cardinal Segura, a fact documented by the diocesan chronicle and by the brotherhood itself.

Party and devotion

Su fiesta principal es el 11 de junio, con la célebre procesión nocturna conocida como «la noche de la Virgen de la Capilla». El recorrido por el casco antiguo, con la ciudad iluminada, es uno de los actos más sentidos por el pueblo jiennense, que cada año lo vive con honda emoción y participación familiar.

Link to the Rosary

The Virgin of the Chapel's Brotherhood organizes public rosaries and vigil, and the devotion of the Rosary is part of the spirituality of the brotherhood. It is not, however, clear that the advocation has a specific title linked to the Rosary or a historical fellowship of the Rosary itself.