The Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia - the highest Marian sanctuary in the world * All PYRENEES

The Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia (Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia), dedicated to the Nativity of Mary under the homonymous denomination, patron saint of Ciudad Rodrigo, is located at the top of the Peña de Francia, Sierra de Francia, in the municipality municipal district of El Cabaco (Salamanca), autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain.

Ruled by the Dominican Fathers, it is the highest Marian sanctuary in the world.

A replica of the image of this sanctuary is also the patron of the Bicolandia region (Philippines), where it is known as Our Lady of Peñafrancia, or Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Likewise, she is the patron saint of São Paulo, Itapira and Resende Costa, in Brazil.

Practically inaccessible in winter due to snow, the monastic complex has a large influx of visitors during the summer months, many of them Christian pilgrims. During the weekends with good weather, weddings are frequent before the image of the Virgen de la Peña de Francia.

The sanctuary is made up of the church and a convent of friars, as well as the exterior chapels of La Blanca (built over the cave where Simón Vela found the image of the Virgin), San Andrés and Santo Cristo. Likewise, part of the complex is a plaza with a jurisdictional roll, an inn independent of the monastery and a telecommunications repeater antenna.

From the place where it is located, you can see the entire Campo Charro plain to the north, the Sierra de Tamames to the east, and the Gabriel y Galán reservoir to the south, apart from the rest of the mountainous massif.