Logbook · 4 places

The sanctuary of the Peña de Francia

El Cabaco, Sierra de Francia, Salamanca

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature

Spain › Castile and León › Salamanca › Sierra de Francia › El Cabaco › The sanctuary of the Peña de Francia

The sanctuary of the Peña de Francia

Monument · El Cabaco, Sierra de Francia, Salamanca

Declared a monument on 16 March 1956, the upper and lower sanctuary, run by Dominican friars, houses the Black Virgin found by Simón Vela in 1434 and mentioned by Cervantes in Don Quixote; it is one of the highest-altitude Marian sanctuaries in the world, with replicas venerated as patron saints in Bicolandia, the Philippines, and several cities in Brazil. The complex is formed by the church, the friars' convent and the outer chapels of la Blanca, built over the cave of the discovery, San Andrés and the Santo Cristo. Practically inaccessible in winter because of the snow, from its site one can see the Campo Charro, the Sierra de Tamames and the Gabriel y Galán reservoir. Beside it stands the convent's jurisdictional pillar, protected since 14 March 1963.

Photo: Cruccone (CC BY 3.0)

What to see and do in El Cabaco