Marian devotion
Our Lady of the Palm
Patron saint of Algeciras (Cadiz)
Patron saint of Algeciras, Our Lady of La Palma is the protagonist of one of the most unique maritime pilgrimages in the south: every August 15th her image is "rescued" from the sea on Rinconcillo beach.
Origin and history
Local tradition places the origin of the devotion at the end of the 17th century: a ship from Italy arrived in Algeciras during a storm and, according to the devotional account, could not set sail until the image of the Virgin was brought ashore; then the sea calmed and the people understood that the Virgin wished to stay. Another tradition links the title "of the Palm" to the conquest of Algeciras by Alfonso XI in 1344, as it coincided with Palm Sunday.
Patron saint of Algeciras and Perpetual Mayoress of the city, her most distinctive feature is the maritime pilgrimage on August 15th, in which the image is rescued from Rinconcillo beach. Various sources cite a canonical coronation in 1987, a fact that should be taken with caution as it is not documented in a clear ecclesiastical source.
The 1987 coronation comes from secondary sources; it should be confirmed in a diocesan source.
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