Audioguide

Augas Santas Sanctuary

One of the saints most venerated in the area is our Nuestra Señora de los Ojos Grandes de Augas Santas, in English, Our Lady of the Big Eyes. The festival honours both the Virgin and the water from a spring that is believed to have almost magical powers.

The sanctuary of Augasantas is not the original but a 20th-century reconstruction. It is known that prior to the Christian sanctuary there was a pagan temple where idols were worshipped, including the sun, the moon, the nymphs who protected the water, and so on. When the district became Christian, the new religion replaced the old one.

The most characteristic feature of this pilgrimage is the ritual of approaching the spring, which used to be a small lake and is believed to have healing properties. Medical experts say that being treated with sulphurous water is particularly beneficial for curing skin infections like eczema, eruptions and inflammatory, degenerative and metabolic rheumatic complaints.

Nowadays, the pilgrimage takes place on the second Sunday in September.