Andújar (Spain) celebrates the 798th Anniversary of the Apparition of the V

Andújar (Spain) celebrates the 798th Anniversary of the Apparition of the Virgen de la Cabeza

11-08-25

The city of Andújar (Jaén, Spain), a member of the World Religious Tourism Network since January 2025, commemorates this August one of the oldest and most deeply rooted milestones in its history: the 798th anniversary of the Apparition of the Virgen de la Cabeza, patroness of the town and of the Diocese of Jaén. According to tradition, in the early hours of August 11 to 12, 1227, the Virgin appeared to the shepherd Juan de Rivas on the Cerro del Cabezo, in the heart of the Sierra Morena Natural Park. This event gave rise to a devotion that, over almost eight centuries, has managed to combine faith, art, heritage, and natural landscape, projecting the name of Andújar on a national and international scale.

The celebration takes place in a context of great cultural and spiritual value. The Romería of the Virgen de la Cabeza, recognized as the oldest pilgrimage in Spain, is its main expression. Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims travel kilometers on foot, on horseback, or in wagons to reach the Sanctuary, in a manifestation of popular religiosity that transcends borders and generations. The 798th anniversary has a special character, as the Royal and Illustrious Cofradía Matriz has obtained authorization for the image to be carried in procession only with its mantle and crowns, without other attributes, thus allowing the faithful to contemplate “La Morenita” in its purest form, close to the carving made by the sculptor Navas Parejo in 1944.

The commemorative poster for this edition, created by artist Alicia Borrego Casas, pays tribute to traditional iconography, drawing inspiration from the work of Bernardo Asturiano. It depicts the Virgin crowned and surrounded by a landscape of rocks and vegetation that evokes the mountainous setting of her apparition. The composition is completed with a celestial choir, a semicircular arch, and a starry sky, alluding to the astronomical phenomenon of the Perseids or “Tears of Saint Lawrence,” visible every August from Andújar.

The city’s connection with nature and astronomy is further reinforced by its certification as a Starlight Tourist Destination, a distinction that attests to the exceptional quality of its skies for astronomical observation. This feature makes the night of the Apparition an unrepeatable experience, where liturgy is combined with stargazing.

The central events of the commemoration will take place on the night of August 11 to 12, 2025. The Pontifical Mass, presided over by the Bishop of Jaén, Monsignor Sebastián Chico Martínez, will be held at 11:00 p.m. at the outdoor altar of the Basilica and Royal Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza. The ceremony will feature the Choir and Chamber Orchestra of the Higher Technical School of Engineering of Seville, providing high-quality musical accompaniment. After the Eucharist, a nighttime procession will be held with the presence of affiliated brotherhoods from various parts of Spain, carrying banners and lanterns in a route full of symbolism.

The importance of this devotion goes beyond its religious aspect. As writer and professor Alfredo Ybarra Lara noted, “the Virgen de la Cabeza, in various studies of expressive clarity, fills us, opens us to the various ‘Andújars,’ to the various meanings of a mystery surrounded by exuberant frames… teachings of a luminous, baroque, Marian Andalusia with deep strokes.”

This reflection sums up the cultural, artistic, and emotional richness of the tradition, which continues to attract visitors and scholars of intangible heritage. The Tourism Department of the City Council of Andújar invites the World Network of Religious Tourism, as well as devotees, travelers, and curious visitors, to discover this unique manifestation, in which liturgical solemnity, artistic beauty, environmental value, and the strength of a community that, generation after generation, keeps its spiritual heritage alive, are intertwined. Andújar not only celebrates a date, but also reaffirms its identity as a privileged destination for contemporary religious tourism.

Location: Basilica and Royal Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza

Date: Night of August 11 to 12, 2025

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