Santuario de Belén, Almansa

Santuario de Belén is a Baroque church building in the Almansa region with a rectangular floor plan, high choir entrance, and an ornate altarpiece from the early 18th century. The structure features typical Baroque architectural elements and is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

The sanctuary's origins trace to the 9th century when monks maintained a small hermitage and several monasteries in the surrounding area. Its transformation into the current Baroque form occurred in the early 18th century, as recorded by the bell María Magdalena with its inscription from 1790.

Annual processions between Almansa and the sanctuary are rooted in local tradition and carried out by members of the Shepherds' Society, who shoulder the Virgin's statue through the streets. These ceremonies shape the region's religious life and reflect centuries of popular devotion.

The sanctuary sits several kilometers outside Almansa's town center and is most easily visited during traditional local festivities and religious ceremonies. Visitors should prepare for rural conditions and uneven terrain when making the journey to the site.

The bell María Magdalena, cast in 1790, bears an inscription documenting important events in the sanctuary's history and serves as a tangible witness to the site's past. This object physically connects the place's tradition with its present.