Santa María la Real de las Huertas

Patrona de Lorca (Murcia)

Patrona de Lorca, from its orchard and pedanias, Santa María la Real de las Huertas is the oldest Marian advocation in the city, linked by tradition to the conquest of Alfonso X.

Origin and history

The lorquine tradition states that in 1244, during the conquest of Lorca, Prince Alfonso de Castilla (future Alfonso X) camped in the garden and wanted to build a hermitage there for a Marian image of his devotion, which would remain the patron of the city. On that hermitage was established in 1466 the Franciscan community, the first convent of the order in Lorca, by the bull of Paul II.

The convent was built in the late 15th century; a great raid in 1653 destroyed it almost completely and was rebuilt. The original image was lost in 1936 and the present one is the work of José Jerique (1942). It is still attended by Franciscans and is the "Patronal Sanctuary" of Lorca; around 8 September the Feria Chica is held.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.