Mare de Déu del Vilar, Catholic sanctuary in Blanes, Spain

Mare de Déu del Vilar is a sanctuary in Blanes, on the Serra de Marina, made up of the chapel, an attached farmhouse and outer courtyards. The chapel has a single nave with a barrel vault, a trapezoidal apse with a ribbed vault, a side chapel and a two-storey head. A wide porch stands at the entrance, and the sacristy occupies the octagonal room on the first floor of the head.

The sanctuary preserves a 13th-century statue of the Virgin Mary that was hidden in the forest during the war from 1936 to 1939. This action protected the artwork from destruction during that turbulent period.

The maritime theme appears in the sgraffito decoration of the porch, with lobsters, starfish and fish, and in engravings and paintings of shipwrecks and storms inside. The sanctuary keeps votive offerings, including an oar honouring Joaquim Ruyra's 1904 story El rem de trenta-quatre. The goigs, a song in honour of the Virgin, date back to the 17th century.

The sanctuary is accessible by walking paths and sits on high ground offering views over the surrounding area. Comfortable shoes are recommended for the walk up, and you should allow time to explore both the building and the location.

Among the votive offerings kept in the sanctuary is an oar, placed in homage to Joaquim Ruyra i Oms's 1904 story "El rem de trenta-quatre". The writer was born in Blanes, and the object ties the shrine's maritime devotion to his seafaring tale.