Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia

On the edge of Biar, in the Sierra de Fontanella, the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia sits in a clearing surrounded by pine forest that locals have walked or driven up to for generations. A hermitage already stood here under this dedication by 1557; at the end of the 17th century the Capuchin friars took over the site and, in 1699, commissioned an expansion plan from the master builder Juan Blas Aparicio of Xàtiva.

Building the current church

The foundation stone of the central body that survives today was laid in 1720, and the three-nave building was finished in 1770, the same year its rococo façade was completed. Later reforms, between 1839 and 1842, extended the nave toward the current chancel and added the dome; the camarín housing the statue of the Virgin was built between 1915 and 1918. Attached to one side of the building is an old arcaded hostelry, now used as a sacristy and living quarters, a reminder of when the sanctuary sheltered those who climbed up from town or stayed overnight with the friars.

Visiting

The façade, centred on a three-tier bell tower, echoes the three interior naves in its stonework. The pine woods around the sanctuary make it easy to extend the visit with a short walk through the sierra, and entry to the church costs nothing. Given its hillside position, autumn and winter mornings, with cooler air and clearer views, tend to be the most comfortable time to come up.

Together with the castle and the Iglesia de la Asunción, the sanctuary rounds out the religious and defensive heritage that can be seen on a visit to Biar. The road up continues toward other corners of the Alt Vinalopó, the comarca Biar shares with Villena.