Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña

In the Valley of Rio Palmas in the municipality of Betancuria is also the Hermitage and Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rock that is the patron saint of Fuerteventura. In this hermitage is venerated the Virgin of the Rock also known as La Peñita for being a small image.

Unlike other temples found in the Betancuria villa, this is a single nave. The façade of the hermitage is of a class style and is made of stone, this element is noble and is used very little in buildings of this type, which demonstrates the importance of this site.

Among the elements to be highlighted in the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña is the semicircular arch surrounded by plinths decorated with coffered ceilings and capitals that houses an empty tympanum fronton.

The hermitage as it is known today was built during the eighteenth century by agreement of the residents of Fuerteventura who decided to build a new temple in honor of the patron saint of the island, these works were extended for 11 years , between 1705 and 1716 and ended on August 26.

The Hermitage of Our Lady of La Peña was declared a historical-artistic monument of intestes for the autonomous community of Canarias in 1985. The Hermitage also has three altarpieces and sculptures in which they are represented Saint Lucia, San Lorenzo, San Sebastián and already mentioning Our Lady of La Peña who presides over the temple.

With regard to the Virgen de la Peña is one of the oldest of the Canary Islands and the most remote of the 7 patrons of the archipelago, the image dates from the fifteenth century and was not until the mid-sixteenth was proclaimed lawyer and defender of Fuerteventura.