Feast of the Virgen de la Cinta

The Virgen de la Cinta, the «Little Virgin», is the patron saint of Huelva and its perpetual mayor. According to the tradition recorded by Friar Felipe de Santiago, devotion to her began with the discovery of a mural painting in December 1400, where her sanctuary now stands on the Conquero heights. The Brotherhood recalls that in March 1493 Columbus's sailors from Huelva commended themselves to her in the middle of a storm, the so-called Columbus Vow. The 625th anniversary of the devotion was celebrated in 2025.

The image carried in procession is the work of Benito Hita del Castillo. Every year the Hermandad de Nuestra Señora de la Cinta carries it in late August from the sanctuary to the Cathedral of La Merced for the novena, and on 8 September returns it to the Conquero in a popular procession. The City Council supports the festival and programmes its concerts.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of La Cinta is on the Conquero heights, overlooking the marshes. The descent follows avenida Manuel Siurot to the Cathedral of La Merced; the return on 8 September follows the old Gibraleón road and the Las Colonias district up the Cinta slope to the Humilladero. In 2026 the concerts were held at La Orden fairground (avenida Diego Morón) and in Plaza de la Merced.

For the early-morning descent, EMTUSA runs special buses from the central Zafra stop (platform of lines 2 and 6) to the Sanctuary, valid with a bus pass or a special ticket (in 2026: departures at 5.30, 5.50, 6.10 and 6.30 am).

The descent begins after the Dawn Mass and moves on at sunrise with the Rosary of the Dawn and the music of the Campanilleros. On 6 September there is a floral offering at the Sanctuary all day.

On the 8th, after the main service presided over by the bishop, the Virgin is carried back up to the Conquero amid the crowds: at the flamenco club in Las Colonias Huelva fandangos —declared a Site of Cultural Interest— are sung to her, and on the Cinta slope, beside the Humilladero, the bearers perform the famous chicotá. A fireworks display closes the festival when the Virgin re-enters her sanctuary.