Vega de Río Palmas
| Betancuria municipality: Vega de Río Palmas | |||
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 Flooded fields surrounded by mud walls in Vega de Río Palmas
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| coat of arms | Map of the Canary Islands | ||
 Help on coat of arms |
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| Basic data | |||
| Autonomous Community : | Canary Islands | ||
| Province : | Las Palmas | ||
| Island: | Fuerteventura | ||
| Coordinates | 28 ° 24 ′ N , 14 ° 5 ′ W | ||
| Residents : | 187 (2013) INE | ||
| Postal code : | E-35637 | ||
| Area code: | 35007000300 | ||
| Nearest airport : | Puerto del Rosario (FUE) | ||
Vega de Río Palmas is a place in the municipality of Betancuria on Fuerteventura . The name means floodplain by the palm river. In 2013 the place had 187 inhabitants.
Vega de Río Palmas is located on the oasis-like Barranco de las Peñitas. Some terraces are still being cultivated there. With the help of wind turbines, the farmers pump groundwater into the fields surrounded by mud walls. They benefit from the fact that the valley , which is over 200 m above sea level, has a little more groundwater than other areas of the island.
The pilgrimage church
The church, built in 1666, is called Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Peña. Their shape is typical of the Spanish colonial style . The well-designed facade stands out from the rather simple designs of the adjoining nave. The clearly structured Renaissance portal is flanked by twin columns. Above - at the height of the roof - a stone bell cage for two bells is placed.
In the main altar there is a 23 cm high alabaster figure in the French late Gothic style . The figure represents the Virgin of the Rock (Nuestra Señora de la Peña), patron saint of the island since 1675 . Various paintings surround the statue: Above you can see the baptism of Jesus accompanied by angels, to the side the Saints St. Peter and Paul . Below the Virgin of the Apocalypse is depicted on the left and Joseph's dream on the right .
The carved artesonado ceiling above the chancel indicates Moorish influence. It is a fine example of the Mudejar style , richly decorated with ornaments.
Facade of the pilgrimage church
Side altar
Artesonado church ceiling
The Virgin of the Rock - Facts and Legends
Since the statue shows French style elements, it is assumed that the conquerors of the island brought the figure with them from Normandy . For fear of pirate attacks, she was then hidden in the nearby Mal Paso canyon and years later, by chance, was rediscovered by a monk.
The legend describes it a little differently: While collecting herbs in the Mal Paso gorge, a monk noticed mysterious lights that seemed to come from the rock, some also speak of a mighty music. Soon his friars found themselves to break up the rock at the said place, whereupon they came upon the Virgin of the Rock. The Holy Didacus finally succeeded to knock out the figure from the column.
In memory of the event, a chapel was built at the site, the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña. Every third weekend in September, a procession takes place in the Barranco de las Peñitas, during which the figure of the Virgin of the Rock is carried from the sanctuary to the chapel.
The Barranco de las Peñitas
The valley overgrown with palm trees , tamarisks and Canarian willows extends southwest of the village. Where the valley narrows to form a gorge, a reservoir (Presa del las Peñitas) was created in the 1940s to improve the supply of water to the island. However, it silted up very quickly and is now almost completely filled with sediments and rubble.
Below the dam, the Mal Paso canyon begins, which consists of syenite , a granite-like volcanic rock , which only came to the surface here due to the erosion of the central volcano .
Palm valley to the east with a view of the village
Dam of the Presa del las Peñitas Reservoir
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña in the Mal Paso gorge
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña
Web links
- Vega de Rio Palmas on Fuerteventura.Kanaren-Insel.org
- Vega de Rio Palma - Presa de las Peñitas - SL FV 27. Directions from the place to the reservoir on SpiritOfFuerteventura.com
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- Susanne Lipps: Fuerteventura. (= Dumont travel paperback). 3rd, completely revised Edition. DuMont-Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2014, ISBN 978-3-7701-7360-0 .
- Dieter Schulze: Fuerteventura Island. 6., rework. and compl. act. Edition. Reise-Know-How-Verlag Rump, Bielefeld 2010, ISBN 978-3-8317-1950-1 .