Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Oliva

Located on the Vejer-Barbate road, 5 km from Vejer. In this chapel you can see the Patron Saint of Vejer, the Virgen de la Oliva. This place was formerly a Roman villa and later in the Visigothic period s. Therefore, the Ermita de la Oliva is built on the site of that basilica, according to epigraphic sources. In it there is a funerary monument with pagan inscription that contains bone remains and ashes of the protomartyr Esteban, the martyr saints Servando and Germán from Cadiz and the Sevillian saints Justa and Rufina. The carving of the Virgin of the Olive is made by the Sevillian sculptor Martín Alonso de Mesa in 1596. It is made of safe pine (wood very used during this time), stewed and polychrome. It carries the child on the left side, while, on the arm, it holds an olive branch, taking up the oldest tradition. The tunic is also gathered on the same side with simple folds, which fall heavily and tend to widen the figure downward, so that the feet briefly peek out. This place becomes a must for all pilgrims on May 7, when a pilgrimage is held to commemorate the commemoration of the Virgen de la Oliva as Patron Saint of Vejer. For more information, tel. 956 450 056 / https://www.facebook.com/parroquiadivinosalvadorvejer