SANCTUARY NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA LUZ
Nuestra Señora de la Luz is the patron saint of Tarifa. It has its sanctuary at about 8 km from the city It was built by Alfonso XI to commemorate the victory in the battle of Salado (1340). According to legend, the Virgin intervened, prolonging the day so that the Christian hosts could culminate their victory (hence its name).
Its construction dates back to at least the 16th century, but it was razed to the ground by Napoleonic troops and rebuilt in the 19th century. It is located in the heart of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park.
This Chapel has a special attraction. Its structure has a Latin cross floor plan made up of three naves and a main chapel. Its current form is the result of numerous modifications. It includes a chapel, an adjoining patio and rooms for the Brotherhood and the housekeepers. The church houses the image of the Virgen de la Luz dating from the end of the s. XVI or beginning of the s. XVII.
Her festival is celebrated in September with a pilgrimage, a procession and an agricultural parade, declared of Andalusian Tourist Interest in March 2010. This is an event in which the Virgin is taken from the Sanctuary to the city, accompanied by parishioners by foot and by hundreds of horseback riders. On the last Saturday of September, it is tradition to pass under the mantle of the Virgin in the Church of San Mateo because it is the last day that she remains in the town. The next morning, the fourth Sunday in September, the Virgin returns to the Sanctuary and the well-known Pilgrimage of the Virgen De La Luz is celebrated there.
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