The Brotherhood and Sisterhood have organised commemorative events to be held on Wednesday 17 April in the Parish Church of Santa María, where the image of the Patron Saint has been kept since its restoration, due to work on the church.
The Hermandad y Cofradía Ntra. Sra. del Socorro informs of the commemorative acts of the election of the Virgen del Socorro as Patron Saint of the City of Tíjola.
They will begin on the morning of Wednesday 17th with the opening of the Church of Santa María at 10:00 hours, remaining open until 21:00.
During the course of the morning, there will be a food collection for the needy people of Tíjola.
At 12:00, the recitation of the Regina Celi will take place.
That same evening, at 19:30 hours, there will be the recitation of the Holy Rosary and at 20:00 hours Holy Eucharist commemorating the 449th Anniversary of the Patronage of Our Lady of Succour over the City of Tíjola.
Tradition has it that the image arrived from Italy with the Tercios who came to put down the Moorish rebellion of 1568.
Once the conflict was over and the area repopulated, the image of the Virgen del Rosario presided over the altarpiece in the parish church, accompanied by the image of the Virgen del Socorro that the soldiers of Don Juan de Austria had left behind after their passage through the town.
On 17th April 1575, in gratitude for the favours received, the villagers chose the Virgen del Socorro as their «Advocate and Help», building her a Hermitage, 449 years ago.