Our Lady of the Pueyos

Patrona de Alcaziz (Teruel)

On a hill ("pueblo") to the north-west of Alcáiz, over the Guadalope, the Baroque sanctuary of Our Lady of the Pueyos guards the patron of the city, the goal of a multitudinary Romeria on 9 September.

Origin and history

The sanctuary is an ancient Marian enclave, with a first hermitage at least since the 14th century; the present complex is baroque from the 17th century, of a five-section ship with canyon vault. The name "Pueyos" refers to the height of the place.

A tradition of the early 14th century refers to the apparition of the Virgin to a pastor named Lucio, to whom he would have shown a Romanesque image asking to be venerated there "while carrying water the Guadalope and the countryside support plants"; it is a foundational legend. The Virgin of the Pueyos is patron of Alcáiz, invoked as a protector of the city and its fields, with great Romeria on 9 September.

Canonical coronation: not recorded.