The sanctuary of the Virgen de los Reyes is isolated in an inhospitable place in the center of the island of El Hierro. It is a sparkling white church with a discreet bell tower. It has a rectangular floor plan and a half-timbered roof. It is escorted by some auxiliary buildings that are now used as a souvenir shop and to store the necessary tools for the four-year descent. This event, of religious origin and which has been celebrated uninterruptedly since 1745, has transcended its Catholic character to become the most anticipated festival by the locals, who almost all join the promenade where the image of the Virgin is submit every four years, in the month of July.
The procession has a difficulty that astonishes those who know the relief of the island, devilishly inclined, with paths and lava tracks that are quite unstable. However, occasionally, the people of El Hierro take the Virgin out of her darkness in her hermitage and place her on a stretcher to travel the 27 kilometers to the capital of the island, Valverde. On the itinerary, she is always accompanied by dancers wearing multicolored hats and white dresses with vermillion touches on the neckerchief and sash, while playing castanets known as chácaras.
All the localities want to participate in the transfer of the Virgin, so there are some delimitations known as “rays” in which the image is lowered to the ground (in some places on prominent rocks) so that the next relay can take over. There are a dozen of these inner borders. And although the privilege of carrying the Virgin is honorable for those who deal with it, so is the relief of getting rid of the image, since the slopes to be overcome are very notable. When leaving the sanctuary, you are at an altitude of 800 meters, and you have to reach 1,400 meters from the Malpaso peak, the highest point on El Hierro, which does not bear that name by chance: it is an unprotected place from the prevailing strong winds On that Atlantic island.
From the El Hierro roof, the drop is downhill, even more difficult than the uphill section, since slipping on the loose stone of the volcanic lava is a constant threat. Upon reaching Valverde, the Virgin –and the pilgrims– have lost more than 900 meters of elevation. Most of the roads used are old cattle tracks. What, at present, represents that fragments of paved road alternate with wide tracks, but also with narrow, twisted paths and broken by the rains, which makes it extremely difficult to pass with the Virgin on your back.
The first Saturday of July is the day chosen for the event, which is carried out in one go in a single day. In 2021 the covid pandemic prevented the celebration, so the next appointment will be in 2025.
The route made with the Virgen de los Reyes –patron saint of the island thanks to the fact that she worked a miracle in 1546 allowing the departure of a ship wrapped in a dead calm– is now, also, the central section of the GR-131 Long Distance path . It is an ambitious walk that crosses all of El Hierro along its spine, uniting the ends of Tamaduste, the easternmost town on the island, with the Orchilla lighthouse, the western border and last classic point to set sail for America. Fit hikers can cover the 42 kilometers in two stages, although they will have to improvise an overnight stay in the woods, halfway.
The Sanctuary of the Virgen de los Reyes is located at the foot of the Hi-500 highway. The closest town is Sabinosa, 18 km away (but half an hour of swerving around Stygian curves).
