The Shrine of Belén

In the Barrio de Belén, on Calle Huerta En medio Palacio, 13, stands one of the least known hermitages in Priego de Córdoba, probably because of its location in the lower part of the city, close to the Castle and the Carnicerías Reales.

The Brotherhood of the Holy Family of Belén dates back to the end of the 17th century. In 1741 a petition was submitted to the Town Hall requesting a licence to rebuild the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Belén (demolished because of its ruinous state). Years later Bishop Caballero y Góngora, Prelate of Córdoba and a great devotee of Belén, encouraged this devotion throughout the province. There are poetic and literary references to the Confraternity of Nuestra Señora de Belén dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, among them the Christmas carol “La Pastorela”. The authorship of María Santísima de Belén and the Santísimo Niño is due to the Valencian sculptor of religious images Vicente Tena, who was commissioned in 1905. Previously, from its beginnings, the Brotherhood venerated a majestic canvas of the Most Holy Virgin of Belén, now located on one side of the High Altar of the Hermitage of Belén itself. As for Saint Joseph, it was carved by the sculptor of religious images José Navas Parejo in 1929.

Today the most notable events and devotions of this Brotherhood are the monumental nativity scene (belén) in the premises of the Hermitage itself, which can be visited at Christmas, the traditional Christmas migas (fried breadcrumbs) and roscas (ring-shaped pastries) at Candlemas, the celebration of its most solemn septenary, with a procession of its titular images from 9 to 15 August, and its Christmas triduum on 25 December, 1 and 6 January.