Legend of the Grotto of the Virgin de la Peña
Mijas, Spain
Grotto of the Virgin de la Peña, 1682 AKA – Chapel of the Virgin in the Rock. (The word peña means cliff in Spanish)
A chapel has been hollowed out in the cliff beside a town tower where inside there is a chapel to the Virgin de la Peña, as well as a little room where the ceremonial clothes of the Virgin are kept.
The grotto has a very interesting legend.
In the 16th century a man named Pedro Bernal lived in Mijas with his wife and two children, a boy, Juan (12 years old) and a girl, Asuncion (10 years old).
On May 30, 1536 the children were playing where the little square is now and saw a white dove that was exceptionally beautiful. The dove alighted on them and they were able to caress it. Enchanted, the children shared this story with their parents.
The next day the children went back, and at the same time the same beautiful white dove appeared again.
The parents were beginning to feel uneasy and told them not to go back, so the next day the children stayed home.
However a few days later they did return and on this visit they heard a voice calling them and then the Virgin and Child with the same white dove on her shoulder appeared to them. She told the children she was the Mother of God and to tell everyone what they saw. She instructed them to remove her from the rock where she had been trapped inside for the last 500 years.
The next day the priest, the parents and the whole town went to the tower and cliff where the Virgin had appeared. The father went to the top of the tower and hit the rock where there was a hollow sound. When Pedro excavated that spot, he discovered a statue of the Virgin and then fainted away at this miracle.
Mijas gained fame because of this apparition and statue and there was a project to build a chapel at this holy place but nothing happened for many years. Then a pious hermit priest called Diego decided to build the chapel himself. He continued excavating until the chapel was finished in 1682.
The priest was buried in the chapel when he died.
A chapel has been hollowed out in the cliff beside a town tower where inside there is a chapel to the Virgin de la Peña, as well as a little room where the ceremonial clothes of the Virgin are kept.
The grotto has a very interesting legend.
In the 16th century a man named Pedro Bernal lived in Mijas with his wife and two children, a boy, Juan (12 years old) and a girl, Asuncion (10 years old).
On May 30, 1536 the children were playing where the little square is now and saw a white dove that was exceptionally beautiful. The dove alighted on them and they were able to caress it. Enchanted, the children shared this story with their parents.
The next day the children went back, and at the same time the same beautiful white dove appeared again.
The parents were beginning to feel uneasy and told them not to go back, so the next day the children stayed home.
However a few days later they did return and on this visit they heard a voice calling them and then the Virgin and Child with the same white dove on her shoulder appeared to them. She told the children she was the Mother of God and to tell everyone what they saw. She instructed them to remove her from the rock where she had been trapped inside for the last 500 years.
The next day the priest, the parents and the whole town went to the tower and cliff where the Virgin had appeared. The father went to the top of the tower and hit the rock where there was a hollow sound. When Pedro excavated that spot, he discovered a statue of the Virgin and then fainted away at this miracle.
Mijas gained fame because of this apparition and statue and there was a project to build a chapel at this holy place but nothing happened for many years. Then a pious hermit priest called Diego decided to build the chapel himself. He continued excavating until the chapel was finished in 1682.
The priest was buried in the chapel when he died.