Hermitage of Navahonda

The Hermitage of Navahonda is a small chapel in the countryside south of Robledo de Chavela featuring a Baroque stone cross on its facade. It has a portico supported by four Tuscan columns, a long bench along its sides, and two attached residential buildings next to the main structure.

The hermitage was built in the 16th or 17th century as a small place of worship and gained recognition through visits by Spanish King Philip II during his reign. These royal visits showed how important the site was to people at that time.

The place is tied to a local legend about a Virgin Mary image that supposedly refused to leave this location when people tried to move it elsewhere. Pilgrims visit yearly to honor this story and the devotion to the Virgin of Navahonda.

The chapel sits about 11 kilometers southwest of Robledo de Chavela and can be reached via the GR-10 hiking trail that connects Valencia and Lisbon. Wear proper hiking shoes and be prepared for changing weather since the path runs through forested terrain.

Inside the main building there is a pulpit carved directly from local granite, a single piece of stone worked by hand. This craftsmanship shows the care people took when building this small sacred space in earlier times.