Virgen De La Cabeza – Sanctuary, Pilgrimage and Natural Park
Accommodation in Virgen De La Cabeza
For planning your trip to Virgen De La Cabeza, the sanctuary, the pilgrimage and the natural surroundings of the Sierra de AndĂşjar Natural Park offer different focal points. If you are looking for hotels for your trip, you can consider whether pilgrimage and history or landscapes and trails will play a greater role in your plans.
Sanctuary and natural surroundings
The BasĂlica y Real Santuario de la SantĂsima Virgen de la Cabeza is located in the Parque Natural de la Sierra de AndĂşjar, in the area known as Cerro del Cabezo. The park represents the hilly landscape typical of the Sierra Morena. Endangered and characteristic species find refuge among the Mediterranean woodland and dehesas.
The Centro de recepciĂłn de visitantes Virgen de la Cabeza provides information about the monument, its religious heritage and the natural surroundings of the Sierra de AndĂşjar Natural Park. If you plan to visit the center, check the current visitor services in advance.
The pilgrimage and the sanctuary’s history
The RomerĂa de la Virgen de la Cabeza has been celebrated on the last Sunday in April since the first half of the 13th century. The exact calendar date varies from year to year. So if you want to plan your trip around the celebration, check the date for the year in question. The Sunday celebration culminates in a procession of the SantĂsima Virgen de la Cabeza. Participants arrive on foot, on horseback, on mules or in wagons.
The BasĂlica also has a long history of construction: it was originally built between 1287 and 1304. After being almost completely destroyed during the last civil war, it was rebuilt. On April 21, 2010, a papal brief elevated the Santuario to the status of a minor basilica. The sanctuary’s history therefore encompasses its early construction, reconstruction and a later ecclesiastical distinction.
The Museo Mariano at the Santuario
The Museo Mariano Virgen de la Cabeza is located on the premises of the Santuario. Its important collection includes artistic, documentary and anthropological objects relating to the historical heritage of devotion to the Virgen de la Cabeza. The first room features a 17th-century painting of the RomerĂa. The collection thus offers different perspectives on the history of this devotion, from pictorial evidence to documentary and anthropological records.
As visitor arrangements may change, check the latest visiting options for the museum and visitor center in advance.
Trails and access
The routes described differ in their courses and their starting and ending points. The Camino Viejo: Tramo Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza–Lugar Nuevo starts at Cerro del Cabezo and descends all the way. By contrast, the Circular Santuario–RĂo Jándula circular trail starts and ends in the square of the Santuario de la Virgen de la Cabeza. Thus, a continuous descent and a circular route with the same start and end point offer two different types of trail.
The Sendero El Santuario passes through Mediterranean woodland and dehesas with holm oaks and cork oaks. For access, the A-6177 road connects AndĂşjar with the Santuario and is the main route into the Sierra de AndĂşjar Natural Park. The route is 32 km long. Check road conditions before setting off.
Discover more destinations: La Puerta De Segura, BĂ©lmez De La Moraleda, Villanueva Del Arzobispo, Baeza, Las Casillas, La Iruela, Hinojares, Santisteban Del Puerto.
For the broader travel overview: Jaen.
