Bajada y Novenario de la Virgen de la Montaña

The Bajada de la Virgen is celebrated ten days before the first Sunday in May, from the Wednesday of the week before. Members of the Virgen de la Montaña brotherhood carry the statue of the Virgin, the patron of Cáceres, on their shoulders the five kilometres from the sanctuary in the Sierra de la Mosca to Santa María Co-Cathedral, in the monument complex declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The procession, which dates back to 1641, brings together thousands of locals and visitors. The streets are packed along the route.

Once the Virgin reaches Fuente Concejo, at the gates to the historic centre, she is received by confraternities, groups and ecclesiastical, civil and military leaders. The principal municipal authority of Cáceres delivers the ceremonial staff of the city, a symbol that is returned on the return procession, when the 14th century statue, of unknown authorship, returns to the sanctuary. This happens nine days after its arrival at the Santa María Co-Cathedral.

During this nine-day period or novenario, the patron of Cáceres receives the faithful with a different mantle each day. Ten masses are held per day, the faithful come to kiss the mantle and new-born babies are presented before the Virgin. There are more than 130 garments in the collection used, including one donated by Queen Isabella II and another presented by the city of Cáceres in 1949 to mark the occasion of the silver wedding anniversary of the Virgin (12 October 1924). This is the one used for the bajada from the sanctuary.

The daily changing of the mantle is precisely one of the most unique aspects of this Festival of Regional Tourist Interest. There is a tradition among the faithful of guessing the colour of the mantle before the Virgin enters the Co-Cathedral.

*Photos provided by the Real Cofradía de Nuestra Señora la Santísima Virgen de la Montaña.