Our Lady of the Tower of Vallecas

Marian title of Madrid (Villa de Vallecas) (Community of Madrid)
Recognized by the Church

Our Lady of the Tower is the patron saint of the town of Vallecas (Madrid). Devotion to her dates back to the 16th century, and her hermitage, located in the area of La Torre (Torrepedrosa, towards Los Berrocales), stands on a site with Roman and Visigothic roots. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were disputes between Vallecas and Vicálvaro over the ownership of the image and the hermitage, which were resolved in 1852 in favor of Vallecas.

Main data

Origin and history

Our Lady of the Tower is the patron saint of the town of Vallecas (Madrid). Devotion to her dates back to the 16th century, and her hermitage, located in the area of La Torre (Torrepedrosa, towards Los Berrocales), stands on a site with Roman and Visigothic roots. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were disputes between Vallecas and Vicálvaro over the ownership of the image and the hermitage, which were resolved in 1852 in favor of Vallecas.

The image and the sanctuary

She is venerated in her hermitage in La Torre; the current church dates from 1746 and remains a pilgrimage destination. The parish of San Pedro ad Víncula safeguards her devotion.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patron saint of the town of Vallecas. Her image was canonically crowned, in a diocesan coronation, on September 17, 2000.

Party and devotion

An 18th-century tradition maintains two pilgrimages a year, in May and September, carrying the Virgin between Vallecas and her hermitage. Devotion to her is a defining characteristic of the area.

Link to the Rosary

Like a strong tower overlooking the Madrid countryside, Mary watches over her own; the Rosary is the watchtower of the soul from which one can glimpse, decade by decade, the protection of the Mother.