The Diocese of Jaén inaugurated this Sunday, October 4, the Jubilee Year for the VIII Centenary of the Apparition of the Virgen de la Cabeza. The opening of the Holy Door of its basilica and royal shrine, in Sierra Morena, marked the beginning of a commemoration that will continue until December 8, 2027, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
According to Diario de Jaén, the Archbishop of Granada, José María Gil Tamayo, presided over the Mass, accompanied by the Bishop of Jaén, Sebastián Chico Martínez. Hundreds of faithful and representatives of the confraternities participated in the celebration, which began with the three knocks by the archbishop on the door before proceeding to its opening.
A call to conversion, not just to celebrate an anniversary
In his homily, Gil Tamayo placed personal conversion as the condition for the jubilee to bear fruit. “If the Jubilee Year ends and nothing has happened in us, it is of no use”, he warned, according to the diocesan chronicle. The archbishop asked that devotion be translated into works and encouraged young people to take up the witness of the faith received from previous generations.
The commemoration refers to the night of August 11–12, 1227, when tradition places the apparition of the Virgen de la Cabeza. The chosen motto, “All generations will call me blessed”, taken from the Magnificat, links that eight-century heritage with the invitation to renew faith, receive the sacraments, and make a pilgrimage to the shrine.
The apparition of the Virgin to the shepherd of Colomera
Tradition places the apparition on the night of August 11–12, 1227. Juan Alonso de Rivas, a shepherd from Colomera, in Granada, was tending his flock in Sierra Morena. For several nights he had observed lights and heard the tolling of a bell, until he decided to climb Cerro de la Cabeza to discover their origin.
There he found an image of the Virgin between two large granite blocks and knelt to pray. According to the traditional account, Our Lady asked him to build a temple in that place and entrusted him with going down to Andújar to report what had happened.
The shepherd had paralysis in his left arm. The Virgin restored his mobility as a sign for the neighbors to believe his testimony. Juan Alonso returned to the city and announced the encounter, showing his healed arm to those who knew of his condition.
That event gave rise to devotion to the Virgen de la Cabeza, one of the Marian advocations with the deepest roots in Andalusia. Construction of the shrine began in 1287 and was completed in 1304, although the temple underwent numerous expansions and renovations over the centuries.
Plenary indulgence and jubilee churches
The Holy See has granted the jubilee graces for this period. The faithful may obtain the plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage to the designated churches and participating in the Eucharist or the scheduled liturgical acts, fulfilling the conditions established by the Church. These include sacramental confession, communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions, and detachment from all sin, even venial.
The shrine of the Virgen de la Cabeza will be a jubilee church throughout the celebration. So will Jaén Cathedral, from September 25 to October 2, 2027, and the parish of Santa María la Mayor in Andújar, during the periods established on the occasion of the image’s stay in the city.
The concession also extends to the sick and those who cannot travel due to a legitimate impediment. They may obtain the indulgence by uniting themselves spiritually to the celebrations, in accordance with the conditions provided by the Church.
The Virgin will visit Andújar and Jaén in 2027
Among the main events on the calendar is the descent of the image to Andújar on September 18, 2027. On the 25th it will be transferred to Jaén, where it will remain until October 2. It will then return to Andújar before going back to the shrine on October 30.
The program includes pilgrimages, gatherings of young people and confraternities, and an International Marian and Popular Religiosity Congress, scheduled for October 21–24, 2027.