Virgen del Carmen:
The Patron Saint of Mariners.

The Fiesta of the Virgen del Carmen is celebrated every year in Sabinillas.Tradition has it that the Carmelite monks, who inhabited the slopes of Mount Carmel and worshiped the Virgin Mary, who had appeared there in

a vision, were forced to flee by a Saracen invasion force. During this eviction the Virgin appeared to them again and promised to be their 'Star of the Sea' and to guide them to safety.

Since then she has been the patron saint of mariners and, as such, the Virgen del Carmen is revered amongst the local fishing communities of southern Spain.

On her feast day - the 16th July - her image is placed on board one of the local fishing boats off the beach at Sabinillas, as it is in many other fishing villages along the Spanish coast. This is done amongst much pomp and ceremony and can be quite a 'hairy' operation, especially if the sea is a bit lively. Then, along with with a flotilla of fishing and pleasure craft, the Virgen is ferried up and down the coast from the Salt Tower to Chullera before disembarking in the marina at Puerto de la Duquesa and carried back to her place of honour in the church at Castillo.

Information on The Virgen del Carmen Supplied by Manilva life.

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