The image and devotion to the Virgen de Luna (meaning Virgin of the Moon) is shared by the towns of Pozoblanco and Villanueva de Córdoba, in the Region of Los Pedroches, in northern Cordoba, and previously also by the nearby municipality of Pedroche.

The Virgen de Luna stays in her hermitage in La Jara countryside area for four months of the year and is carried on Sexagesima Sunday, in February, to the town of Pozoblanco, after a pilgrimage and a festive day and eating together in La Jara countryside area, to be returned to her temple on Whitsunday, in May or June, remaining in Villanueva de Córdoba till October.

The organizational model of this pilgrimage is significant, since the Brotherhood of the Virgen de Luna has a military character, very representative of the region of Los Pedroches. The name hermandades militares (military brotherhoods) or soldadesca (job of soldiers) comes from the military name given to their leadership, consisting of at least a captain, a standard bearer and a sergeant, who will carry the command staff, the flag and the halberd, respectively, as distinctive symbols. The sergeant will also be accompanied by a drummer, who will mark the ritual process with the sound of the omnipresent drum. Very interesting are the flag games and the salvos of gunfire that take place in the hermitage or along the pilgrimage roads.

On the way to Pozoblanco

At around three o’clock in the afternoon, the brotherhood queue up on the esplanade in front of the hermitage to await the departure of the Virgin, carried on the devotees’ shoulders. After another salvo of gunfire, the procession sets off for Pozoblanco through the holm oak forest that marks the route, passing through emblematic spots such as Pozo de San Diego, Venta Caída and Arroyo Hondo, where the brothers also fire salvos. At the Arroyo Hondo area, the image is received by thousands of people from Pozoblanco, the Civil Authorities and the Chaplain of the Brotherhood. It is customary for the children to offer the Virgin the hornazo,  a traditional sweet made up of a bun with a boiled egg, decorated with meringue figurines.

At the Town Hall, the Mayor places the Mayoress’ baton on the image of the Virgin. From there she will be carried to Santa Catalina parish church, where she will remain and will be venerated for four months.

Historical notes

According to the most widespread tradition, the Virgin appeared to a shepherd from the village of Pedroche at the beginning of the 15th century. For several times the boy tried to put the image in his bag to take it home, unsuccessfully. After several trials, the Virgin expressed her wish of having a hermitage built in that area of pastureland called La Jara, some 10 kilometres from Villanueva de Córdoba and 14 kilometres from Pozoblanco. It is said that once the chapel was built, the towns of Villanueva de Córdoba, Pozoblanco and Pedroche agreed that the image of the Virgin would remain for three months in each of the towns, spending the rest of the year in the hermitage. It was agreed that if any of them did fail to carry it on the appointed day, they would lose the right to the image, as happened to Pedroche in a year of abundant rainfall, thus losing their privilege.

The brotherhood was founded in the 15th century, as there are lawsuits between the two towns dating back to 1589 that testify it, although there is no news of it until modern times,  its statutes not being drawn up until 1877, when they were approved by the Bishop of Cordoba.

Period/Occurrence:

Today, and for many years now, the image has been taken to Pozoblanco invariably on Sexagesima Sunday, that is, the Sunday before Carnival, and remains in Pozoblanco until the first day of Pentecost, the day after which it is returned to the hermitage. On Whit Monday, it is Villanueva de Córdoba who brings it from the hermitage to the parish church of San Miguel, to return her to the chapel in October.

Descarga y bandera desplegada. Photo: Felipe García Leyva. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Procesión de la Virgen de luna. Ermita. Photo: Felipe García Leyva. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Salida de los Cofrades camino de la Ermita. Photo: Felipe García Leyva. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Descarga y bandera desplegada. Photo. Felipe García Leyva. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

COPE Pozoblanco. (2022). Romería Virgen de Luna 2022 Pozoblanco. [Video File].

Reference:
MORENO VALERO, Manuel. La Virgen de Luna en Pozoblanco: Rituales y tradiciones.. Edita Moreno Valero, Manuel., ISBN: 978-84-922555-3-5.