People of all ages walked this morning along the approximately three-kilometer trail, which climbs 300 meters to the temple near Latorrecilla, in the municipality of Aínsa-Sobrarbe. The difficulty of the route did not deter people from taking part in the pilgrimage. Among those attending was Father Nacho, from Alquézar, who celebrated Mass at this hermitage, dating back to the late 17th century.
DROUGHT BRINGS AN OLD PLEA BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
The pilgrimage has taken on special significance this year. In the past, it was common for local residents to visit the Virgin to ask for rain, and the shortage of water has once again turned this plea into a necessity. Firefighters from the Huesca Provincial Council have had to supply the village of Santa María de Buil three times in recent days.
“Water restrictions remain in place in the municipality of Aínsa-Sobrarbe. The lack of rain is being felt most strongly in the southern area, and in the case of Santa María de Buil, the spring supplying the village has dried up,” Mayor Enrique Pueyo explains. “As a result, one of the requests during the Eucharist was for the rain we so urgently need.”
Water restrictions currently prevent the municipality’s 26 villages from watering orchards and gardens or refilling swimming pools. These are preventive measures that could be extended in the coming days if the expected rainfall does not arrive.
In any case, Pueyo highlighted the joy of seeing “residents come to this place every year, while also passing on their affection and care for it to younger generations.”
RESIDENTS’ EFFORTS HAVE PREVENTED THE HERMITAGE FROM FACING THE RISK OF COLLAPSE
The hermitage stands on the former boundary between the municipal areas of Guaso and Latorrecilla and La Valle de Boltaña. Next to the temple itself is the caretaker’s house, where a family responsible for its upkeep lived until the 1960s. In the following decades, the site suffered progressive deterioration, which organizations such as Zona Zero and the town council are currently working to reverse.
“We rebuilt a retaining wall at the entrance to the hermitage and erected another to support the façade and prevent it from collapsing,” the mayor explains. The work has not been easy because it is impossible to reach the site by vehicle. For that reason, those who walk to the hermitage and are physically able to do so are encouraged to carry bags of soil placed at the beginning of the trails.
“Through the commitment of residents and the wider community, together with the town council to the extent of our possibilities, we have ensured that the building’s structure is not currently in danger, but there is still a great deal of work ahead.”
