The Córdoba pilgrimage that carries a 'Virgin Conqueror': why it's called that and where to see it

On the first Sunday of May , Córdoba celebrates a pilgrimage presided over by an image of Mary, specifically the Virgin of Linare , although she is popularly known as ' The Conqueror '.

This is one of the most emblematic festivals of the Umayyad capital, which honors the Virgin who accompanied the Holy King Ferdinand III on his entry into Córdoba in 1236, for its Christian conquest.

To confirm its existence in that century, we must refer to the so-called Book of Tables and other characteristics, such as its small size, together with others more common to the images carried by knights, seem to confirm this theory that the Virgin of Linares entered the city with the monarch to whom Prince Abul-l-Casan gave the keys to the city.

The pilgrimage begins early, at 9:00 a.m., when pilgrims and floats leave Avenida República Argentina and travel through places such as Paseo de la Victoria and Plaza de las Tendillas to continue through San Pablo, San Andrés and Ronda del Marrubial and thus set off for the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Linares , which is located about eight kilometers from Córdoba, in the foothills of the Sierra Morena and surrounded by oaks, olive trees and rockroses.

The Sanctuary of Linares is located on a plain near Cerro de Jesús and the popular Puerto de la Salve. It is a beautiful spot, crowned by the crests of an Andalusian tower.

As for the history of the pilgrimage, we must look back to the 12th century , when Bishop Don Pascual encouraged the cult of the image and ordered the annual visit to the sanctuary, after establishing the first brotherhood, among the charitable souls in charge of the sick at the old Lamp hospital - dedicated especially to the care and healing of prostitutes .

In subsequent centuries, donations and reparations were reported, until the 16th century, when the brotherhood, established and with its own rules, took the name of the Virgin of Linares. It eventually disappeared, only to reorganize with new rules requiring, among other things, the exercise of prestigious and dignified professions and the absence of pending legal proceedings.

It was then that the annual celebration at the sanctuary began, which, until the mid- 1800s , was marked by periods of decline and splendor, when the Virgin visited the city only at memorable or critical moments.

Currently, the Virgin is carried on a float and accompanied by a procession of carriages, perfectly adorned horsemen, and pilgrims on foot and in the floats—them dressed in flamenco dresses —which offer a unique image. All are part of a competition that encourages the groups that decorate them to make an effort each year and to make them more original with each edition.

Visual beauty coupled with faith, where people pray, sing, and dance, share a day of joy and delicious food with friends and family—with the so-called 'fig eggs' distributed among attendees—and the floral offering to the Virgin, are some of the things to keep in mind when enjoying this historic and traditional pilgrimage on May 4th .