Marian devotion
Our Lady of the Rock of Fuerteventura
Marian title of Betancuria (Fuerteventura) (Canary Islands)
Recognized by the Church
Our Lady of the Rock is the patron saint of Fuerteventura. Tradition places her discovery in the Peña ravine, where the image appeared to Saint Diego of Alcalá and Friar Juan de Santorcaz: guided by lights, they broke the rock and from it appeared the figure of the Virgin with the Child.
Main data
Origin and history
Our Lady of the Rock is the patron saint of Fuerteventura. Tradition places her discovery in the Peña ravine, where the image appeared to Saint Diego of Alcalá and Friar Juan de Santorcaz: guided by lights, they broke the rock and from it appeared the figure of the Virgin with the Child.
The image and the sanctuary
It is venerated in Vega de Río Palmas (Betancuria). It is a small alabaster carving, about 21 centimeters tall, in the beautiful French Gothic style, dating from the 15th century.
Sponsorship and coronation
Patron saint of Fuerteventura, proclaimed "advocate and defender" of the island around the middle of the 16th century.
Party and devotion
Its main festival is celebrated on the third Saturday of September, with a massive pilgrimage to its sanctuary. Devotion is a defining characteristic of the island.
Link to the Rosary
From the broken rock sprang the Mother, as water sprang from the rock in the desert; the Rosary is the humble and constant knock that opens the stone of the heart so that Mary may appear.
A flower for the Virgin
It offers a simple prayer to this advocation. Pray a Hail Mary for Spain and for the peace of the world.
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