Peña de Francia Sanctuary

The Peña de Francia is the summit of the sierra of the same name, at 1,723 metres, and at the very top it has a Dominican sanctuary. From above, on a clear day, you see the campo charro countryside to the north, and Las Hurdes and the Sierra de Gata to the south. The visit is free and you drive up from La Alberca in a little under half an hour.

A cave, an image and the Dominicans

According to tradition, in 1434, in the reign of John II, a French pilgrim named Simón Vela found an image of the Virgin hidden in a cave at the summit. Two years later, in 1436, the Dominicans settled here, who built the convent, enlarged the church and constructed the square and the viewpoints. With the confiscation of church property the sanctuary was abandoned, and the friars returned in 1900. It has been a national monument since 1956.

What you see at the top

• The church, Gothic, with a neoclassical 17th-century façade and an 18th-century tower. In the camarín (shrine chamber), on the highest rock of the peak, is the image of the Virgin carved in 1890, which keeps remains of the original.
• The square, arcaded, with the 16th-century rollo (justice column) and the coats of arms of John II and the Dominican order.
• The Chapel of the Blanca, probably 16th century, in a corner of the square, over the cave where the image appeared.
• The Santiago balcony, an open viewpoint between the arcades, where there was a chapel dedicated to the apostle.
• The Santo Domingo viewpoint, circular and with a sundial, from 1975, at the end of the road.
• The convent, around a small courtyard with the Pozo Verde, the cistern that collected the rainwater from the roofs.

Open to the public are the chapels, the cloister and a photography exhibition room. The guesthouse, from the 16th century, still operates; it is called the Hospedería Real because Isabella the Catholic, Charles I and Philip II stayed in it.

How to get up and when not to

By car, from La Alberca towards Monsagro and Serradilla del Arroyo, and then along the SA-203 to the turning for the sanctuary; the last stretch is narrow and winding. You park about 200 metres from the sanctuary. For much of the winter the summit road is closed from the Paso de los Lobos junction: with snow, do not go up.

On foot, the PRSA-8 climbs from El Cabaco: 8.7 km, about six hours and 760 metres of climb, with a reserve zone on the hillside in which you cannot leave the path.

With the rest of the sierra

The Peña fits into the same day as the old town of La Alberca, and from the village also leaves the route to the Las Batuecas valley. For lunch on the way down, La Catedral roasts kid and lamb on the Plaza Mayor of La Alberca.