Virgin of the Market (Saint Mary of the Way, "the Ancient One of the Way")

Marian devotion of León (Castilla y León)

The church that houses the image is of Romanesque origin, with parts dating from the 12th century. Its former official name was Santa María del Camino, because the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) passed by the church; the title "del Mercado" (of the Market) appears in documents from 1675, linked to the grain market in the square. The current image is a Gothic carving in pear wood, dated to the late 15th or early 16th century according to different authors.

Main data

Origin and history

The church that houses the image is of Romanesque origin, with parts dating from the 12th century. Its former official name was Santa María del Camino, because the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) passed by the church; the title "del Mercado" (of the Market) appears in documents from 1675, linked to the grain market in the square. The current image is a Gothic carving in pear wood, dated to the late 15th or early 16th century according to different authors.

Tradition tells of the Virgin Mary's apparition to a shepherd among brambles on February 9, 560 or 566 (accounts vary), on the outskirts of the city, where a stone cross now stands; hence, she was also called Our Lady of the Brambles. After another Virgin appeared to a shepherd in 1505 in Valverde de la Virgen—the present-day Our Lady of the Way—the title "Our Lady of the Way" was reserved for the latter, and the city's image became known as Our Lady of the Market, "the Ancient One of the Way." A legend also circulates that the images were exchanged at that time, though this lacks documentary evidence. These accounts belong to local religious tradition.

The image and the sanctuary

The image is venerated in the Church of Santa María del Camino, also known as the Church of the Market, located in the Plaza del Mercado, also known as the Plaza del Grano, in the old town of León. The church retains its Romanesque character with 12th-century elements, while the image itself is a late 15th-century Gothic carving in pear wood. The so-called "miracle of the three fingers," dated September 19, 1734, is attributed to this image. This miracle is widely known in León's traditions and is recorded in chronicles and devotional accounts; it is documented as a popular belief, though it lacks a detailed description in academic sources.

Sponsorship and coronation

She is the popular patron saint of the city of León "by acclamation," although she is not the official canonical patron saint of the diocese. Her canonical coronation took place on October 7, 2017.

Party and devotion

February 9th is commemorated as the date of the apparition according to tradition, and Good Friday is the annual focal point of its current devotion, due to the "sorrowful" nature of the image. Popular Marian piety in León considers it one of the most beloved Marian devotions in the old town.

Link to the Rosary

The canonical coronation took place on October 7th, the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, and several local accounts emphasize its status as a sorrowful image linked to popular Marian devotion. However, there is no record of a specific Rosary confraternity associated with this image, nor an official title "of the Rosary"; no explicit institutional link exists beyond the date of the coronation and the general practice of praying the Rosary in the parish.