Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Linarejos, Baroque church sanctuary in Linares, Spain.
The Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Linarejos is a Marian sanctuary at the end of the Paseo de Linarejos in Linares. The church has a Latin cross plan with three naves, a barrel vault of four bays in the central nave, a transept and a half-orange dome over the crossing. The main facade was built in 1717 and the Camarín de la Virgen was installed in the main chapel in 1722.
According to a romance in the "El Festín" manuscript, the Virgin appeared to shepherd Juan Jiménez on 5 August 1227, the year Linares was reconquered by Ferdinand III. Two earlier manuscripts by Gregorio López Pinto instead give 1236, a date researchers Morales Borrero and Eisman Lasaga consider more credible. A storm destroyed the first chapel in 1258; it was rebuilt and enlarged, then demolished in 1638 to raise the present sanctuary, completed in 1666.
The sanctuary serves as the center for the community's Marian celebrations and where the Virgin was crowned as Queen of the city in 2004. Visitors can see how devotion to her shapes the religious practices and daily life of local residents today.
The sanctuary stands at the end of Paseo de la Virgen de Linarejos, absorbed by the city. The Franciscan friars who had cared for it since 1942 left on 6 November 2015, so check current opening arrangements before visiting. The Camarín holds the Virgin, returned there in 1973.
The interior walls feature frescos painted between 1958 and 1961 by local artists Francisco Carulla and Francisco Baños Martos depicting religious scenes. These artworks come from painters who were closely connected to the community rather than imported famous masters.
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