El Palmar de Troya

El Palmar de Troya is a municipality in Seville Province in southwestern Andalusia, widely recognized for its religious basilica. The small administrative area spreads across flat land with agricultural fields and scattered homes around a compact core.

After the Spanish Civil War, families of prisoners who worked on reservoir construction settled here and laid the foundation for the present village. The separation from Utrera and recognition as an independent municipality came only in 2018, after decades of growth.

The municipality grew as a small village around a controversial religious movement that formed after reported apparitions in the 1960s. Visitors notice the high walls and towers of the basilica forming the central point of the settlement and shaping daily routines.

The place is easiest to reach by car, as it lies away from main roads between Seville and Cádiz. The basilica remains mostly closed to the public, so visits focus on the exterior grounds and the surrounding village.

The basilica was built in only a few decades without state funding by followers of the movement and counts more than 30 domes. Its interior remains strictly shielded, as the community allows only a few outsiders.

Location: Seville Province

Inception: 1947

Capital city: El Palmar de Troya

Elevation above the sea: 117 m

Part of: Settlements of the National Institute of Colonization

Website: http://elpalmardetroya.es

GPS coordinates: 37.06328,-5.80632

Latest update: December 13, 2025 18:15