Monasterio - Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, La Alberca

History

The monastery was built on the site where images of Mary, Santiago, San Andres and Jesus were discovered in 1437. They were probably buried by Christians during the Arab invasions but once found were considered miraculous and therefore worshipped by the local populace. Since Mary’s image was considered the most important, the monastery was named after it. Like Catalonia’s Virgin of Montserrat, the Madonna is black. Stolen in 1872, it was recovered a few years later in a severely damaged state. In 1900, a replica was made to replace the original. The Capilla de la Blanca was erected in 1767 to commemorate the site where the images were found. The imposing structure, decorated with Tuscan-style pilasters, contains a bas-relief relating the story of the images. Until a few years ago, the monastery ran a small guest house to accommodate pilgrims to the shrine. Since that time, the facility has been completely renovated into a three-star hotel managed by a lay company.

Food & beverage

All meals can be provided at an additional cost.

Other facilities

The hospedería is a three-star hotel. Towels and linens are provided. All rooms have TV, minibar and telephone. There is private parking, restaurants and a cafe as well as conference rooms, a sauna, garden, gym and facilities for the handicapped.