Our Lady of Health (Traiguera)

The Royal Sanctuary of the Fountain of Health · Castellón

In the Serra d'en Menor, next to a spring considered to have curative properties, the Royal Sanctuary of the Fountain of Health of Traiguera is one of the great Marian sanctuaries of northern Valencia, favored by kings since the 16th century.

Origin and history

The devotion is documented as far back as 1384, linked to the discovery of a small image of the Virgin by the shepherd brothers Anastasio and Jaime Sorli next to a spring with waters considered to have healing properties; a first hermitage was built there. The sanctuary, of Gothic origin, began to be built in the 14th century and reached its splendor in the 16th, with later Renaissance and Baroque additions.

Charles V declared it a "royal hermitage" with protection in 1542, a privilege renewed by Philip II and confirmed by papal bull in 1555; it was linked to the Orders of Montesa and the Hospital. Its most distinctive feature is the Virgin's connection to the water of the spring, embodied in the Chapel and Well of Miracles, at the site of the discovery. It has been a Site of Cultural Interest since 2007.