Virgin of Nuria, Catholic pilgrimage church in Queralbs, Spain
The sanctuary is a Catholic pilgrimage church at the end of a mountain valley in the Pyrenees, reachable only on foot or by rack railway. Inside, visitors find a single vaulted nave with a semicircular apse and a square bell tower added during later renovations.
The church was consecrated on July 30, 978, dedicated to Saint James of Queralbs, and then rebuilt during the 12th century. This reconstruction also produced the wooden Romanesque statue of the Virgin that still stands in the apse today.
Six arched doorways in the portico rest on five marble columns streaked with blue and white veins, carved with human figures and animals. Pilgrims and hikers pass through these arches to enter a mountain sanctuary that has drawn believers for centuries.
The sanctuary is reachable only by rack railway or on foot, with the uphill hike taking about 3.5 hours and the descent about 2.5 hours. Hikers should wear solid footwear and prepare for high altitude and changing mountain weather.
The wooden 12th-century statue of the Virgin is linked to a ritual in which believers touch a cross, pot, and bell to seek fertility. Many couples hoping for children travel to this remote valley specifically for this purpose.
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