Our Lady of La Vega

Patron saint of Salamanca

Our Lady of the Vega is the patron of the city of Salamanca. The monastery of Santa María de la Vega has been documented since medieval times, towards the XII-XIII centuries; the image is considered Romanesque or of a Romanes- Gothic transition. According to tradition, their finding or devotion is related to the times of the Salamanca repopulation after the Reconquist; these repopulating traditions are frequent and not always documented in detail.

Main data

Origin and history

Our Lady of the Vega is the patron of the city of Salamanca. The monastery of Santa María de la Vega has been documented since medieval times, towards the XII-XIII centuries; the image is considered Romanesque or of a Romanes- Gothic transition. According to tradition, their finding or devotion is related to the times of the Salamanca repopulation after the Reconquist; these repopulating traditions are frequent and not always documented in detail.

The image and the sanctuary

The image is linked to the Basilica of Santa María de la Vega, now integrated in the area of the convent and garden of the Agustinas; the main cult of the patron is currently held in the New Cathedral of Salamanca. Virgen de la Vega has traditionally been called upon to ask for protection from the floods of the Storm and other calamities; historical exvotes related to episodes of plague and wars, collected in studies on the salmantine religiosity, are preserved.

Sponsorship and coronation

She is a patron of the city of Salamanca. The canonical coronation took place on 8 September 1913, in the Cathedral, according to local chronists and diocesan documentation.

Party and devotion

The main feast is held on September 8, the feast of the Virgin of Vega, patron of Salamanca. Devotion is deeply linked to the history of the city and its protection from the river's floods and other adversities.

Link to the Rosary

There is no specific rosarian fellowship linked to this advocation in the consulted sources. There are confradies of the Rosary in Salamanca, but without direct and exclusive reference to the Virgin of Vega.