| Church of the Pilgrim Virgin | |
|---|---|
Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina | |
 The façade of the church. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1794 |
| Location | |
| Location | Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 42°25′51″N 8°38′37″W / 42.4308°N 8.64361°W |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Baroque, Neoclassical |
| Groundbreaking | 1778 |
| Completed | 1792 |
| Direction of façade | West |
| Official name: Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina | |
| Designated | 13 October 2011 |
| Website | |
| vivecamino | |
The church of the Pilgrim Virgin is a scallop-shaped Roman Catholic chapel located in the city of Pontevedra, in Spain, along the route of the Portuguese Way of St. James.
Construction began in 1778 and it is one of the most symbolic and important buildings in the city of Pontevedra. It is dedicated to the Virgin who, according to tradition, guided pilgrims from Bayona, in the south-west of the province of Pontevedra, to Santiago de Compostela.[1]
The church houses the image of the Pilgrim Virgin (19th century), patron saint of the province of Pontevedra[2] and, in turn, of the Portuguese Way. Declared a historic-artistic monument in 1982, it is a mixture of late Baroque and Neoclassical forms, such as its main altarpiece, erected in 1789.
The shape of its floor plan is inspired by a scallop shell, the quintessential symbol of pilgrims, ending in a Christian cross. This circular shape is associated with the prevailing typology in Portuguese Catholic churches of the time.[3] It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument on 13 October 2011.[4]
- ^ "El Santuario da Virxe Peregrina se construyó a partir de 1778". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 9 August 2021.
- ^ "La Peregrina, una "patrona" de la provincia de solo 64 años". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 10 September 2019.
- ^ "Iglesia De A Peregrina".
- ^ "Decreto 202/2011, de 13 de octubre, por el que se declara bien de interés cultural, con la categoría de monumento, el Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Refugio La Divina Peregrina, en el término municipal de Pontevedra. Anexo I:Descripción y justificación" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 9 December 2011.