Torreciudad Sanctuary

Torreciudad Sanctuary, in Secastilla, Aragón, is a major pilgrimage shrine whose importance comes from the meeting of sacred use, architecture and historical memory. A major Marian pilgrimage sanctuary in Aragón, continuing an older local devotion to Our Lady of Torreciudad. The modern Torreciudad sanctuary opened in 1975 through the initiative and direction of St. Josemaría Escrivá and was designed by architect Heliodoro Dols.

It stands near an older hermitage associated with a Romanesque image of Our Lady of Torreciudad and extends a much older local Marian devotion into a large contemporary pilgrimage centre. Architecturally, the site is characterised by modern sacred architecture. Major Marian sanctuary on Spain’s Marian Route.

The official sanctuary biography states that Josemaría’s parents took him to the old hermitage in thanksgiving after his recovery from serious illness at the age of two. The act of thanksgiving is documented in the sanctuary tradition; the recovery is not described here as a medically proven miracle.

Pilgrims also report favours and graces as devotional testimony. Religious use and pilgrimage at the site include Mass, confession, Marian prayer, and pilgrimage devotions. Because worship, ceremonies and heritage visits can overlap, visitors should consult the official institution or the cited public authority for current access, service and visiting arrangements.