Hermitage of El Rocío facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hermitage of El Rocío |
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Ermita de El Rocío
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| Alternative names | Ermita de la Virgen del Rocío Hermitage of the Virgin of El Rocío |
| General information | |
| Type | Hermitage |
| Town or city | Almonte (Province of Huelva) |
| Country | Spain |
| Construction started | 1964 |
| Completed | 1980 |
| Inaugurated | 1969 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Antonio Delgado y Roig and Alberto Balbontín de Orta |
| References | |
| El Nuevo Santuario de la Virgen del Rocío, hermandadrociosevilla.com, retrieved 2010-04-14, for the dates of construction. | |
The Hermitage of El Rocío (also called Ermita del Rocío) is a special church in the countryside of Almonte, Spain. It is located in a place called El Rocío, in the Province of Huelva, Andalusia.
This hermitage is home to the Virgin of El Rocío (Virgen del Rocío). This is a small, very old wooden statue that many people respect. Every year, on the second day of Pentecost, a huge procession and pilgrimage takes place. This event is called the Romería de El Rocío. About a million people visit the hermitage during this time.
Even though there has been a church here for hundreds of years, the building you see today is quite new. It was designed by architects Antonio Delgado y Roig and Alberto Balbontín de Orta. They created the plans in 1961, and the building was constructed over the next two decades.
History of the Hermitage
Stories from the past say that King Alfonso X of Castile, also known as Alfonso the Wise, visited this area in 1270. He ordered a church to be built here, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This place was then called Las Rocinas. It had recently been taken back from the Muslims who ruled much of southern Spain at that time.
King Alfonso also loved the beauty of the area and its many deer. In 1269, he created a hunting ground here. This area is now mostly part of the Doñana National Park.
The First Hermitage
The very first Hermitage of El Rocío was a simple building. It was built sometime after King Alfonso's order in 1270, and definitely by 1300. The famous statue of Our Lady of El Rocío has been with this church since its early days.
This first hermitage was repaired several times over the years. However, it was badly damaged by a huge earthquake in 1755. This earthquake left the building in ruins.
Building the New Churches
After the earthquake, the statue of the Virgin of El Rocío was moved to the nearby village of Almonte. It stayed there for two years while a second hermitage was built. This second church was repaired in 1919. But it was later taken down in 1963 to make room for the building we see today.
The current hermitage was designed by architects Antonio Delgado y Roig and Alberto Balbontín de Orta. Their plans were chosen in 1961 and approved in 1963. The Virgin's statue was moved to Almonte in June 1963. Demolition of the old church began in July.
The first stone of the new building was laid on January 26, 1964. A temporary chapel was quickly built and ready in just 33 days. The main construction continued until January 10, 1969. The new hermitage was officially blessed on April 12, 1969.
Even then, the building was not fully finished. More work, including the top part of the front of the church, continued until 1980. That year, a cross was placed on top of the building. This cross is very old, dating back to 1692.
A very important visitor came to El Rocío on June 14, 1993: Pope John Paul II.
See also
In Spanish: Ermita de El Rocío para niños
