Our Lady of La Palma rescued from the seabed and then taken in a procession along the beach
She remains on the seabed all year and then on August 15th, she is brought up to the surface, where the faithful are waiting on the shore of the Rinconcillo Beach in Algeciras. She is Our Lady of La Palma, who is the star of one of the most moving and unusual martime procession along the coast.
The image is kept in the Los Bodiones Caves, 30 metres under the sea close to the Bay of Algeciras. She remains there throughout the year and divers visit her every month to clean away the seaweed and make sure that the currents to not sweep her away. And even though she has never failed to show up, there have been times when the image of Our Lady has not been located until the very day of the procession.
The pilgrimage usually begins at dawn, then the festooned boats leave the port of Algenciras and enter the Bay so that the divers can rescue the image. With this 90-cm marmoline sculpture at its head, the procession sets off towards the shore, where at around one p.m, the divers carry her off the boat shoulder high.
The image of the city's patron saint remains in the Plaza de la Virgen del Mar square throughout the day. A mass is held on the beach at around eight in the evening and when it ends, she is taken back to the cave when she remains all year. At around midnight, a firework display on land and at sea sees her off until the next year.
She wanted to stay
The devotion to Our Lady of La Palma in Algeciras can be traced back to the end of the 18th century, when a ship from Italy came into the city’s port to shelter from a strong storm. Every time the vessel tried to leave, a new storm prevent it from doing so. They managed to transfer the cargo to another ship, but - according to Ana Gómez, the historian, - the same occurred over and over again until they decided to leave the image that they had in a drawer. The sea calmed and the people interpreted this as "Our Lady insisted on staying". A further coincidence was that Our Lady carried a palm leaf in her hand and this immediately connected her with the conquest of Algeciras. In 1344, the city was taken by Alfonso XI "who consecrated the city's mosque as a Catholic church with the name of Our Lady of La Palma as it was Palm Sunday”.
Today’s maritime pilgrimage is an initiative of the "El Mero" Fishing Club. In 1975, the club decided to make a replica of Our Lady of La Palma to hold the procession and they organise the event each year.
IM WASSER
AM ZIEL 
BILSCHIRMHINTERGRÜNDE
She remains on the seabed all year and then on August 15th, she is brought up to the surface, where the faithful are waiting on the shore of the Rinconcillo Beach in Algeciras. She is Our Lady of La Palma, who is the star of one of the most moving and unusual martime procession along the coast.
The pilgrimage usually begins at dawn, then the festooned boats leave the port of Algenciras and enter the Bay so that the divers can rescue the image. With this 90-cm marmoline sculpture at its head, the procession sets off towards the shore, where at around one p.m, the divers carry her off the boat shoulder high.
The devotion to Our Lady of La Palma in Algeciras can be traced back to the end of the 18th century, when a ship from Italy came into the city’s port to shelter from a strong storm. Every time the vessel tried to leave, a new storm prevent it from doing so. They managed to transfer the cargo to another ship, but - according to Ana Gómez, the historian, - the same occurred over and over again until they decided to leave the image that they had in a drawer. The sea calmed and the people interpreted this as "Our Lady insisted on staying". A further coincidence was that Our Lady carried a palm leaf in her hand and this immediately connected her with the conquest of Algeciras. In 1344, the city was taken by Alfonso XI "who consecrated the city's mosque as a Catholic church with the name of Our Lady of La Palma as it was Palm Sunday”.