Few places in the region surprise like this one: a sanctuary whose 17th-century chapel lies more than twenty metres underground, inside a karst sinkhole in the mountains. Down there, amid drips and half-light, the Virgin of the Cueva Santa — patron saint of Spanish cavers — is venerated.
You descend by staircases to the underground chapel, where a small plaster image (attributed to Fray Bonifacio Ferrer, c. 1402) waits behind its grille; tradition says a shepherd found it in the early 16th century. Inside, the temperature stays at 16–18 °C all year — in August it is the perfect escape from the heat.
Outside, a monumental Way of the Cross winds among holm oaks, and the PR-CV 178 trail climbs about 7 km to the Montmayor summit (1,015 m), overlooking the Palancia and Turia valleys at once, with Penyagolosa in the distance. There is a bar, picnic tables and a guesthouse by the sanctuary.
Bring a light jacket even in summer for the descent. Closed on Mondays; the pilgrimage from Altura is on the last Sunday of April. The CV-245 road is scenic but winding — take it easy. Combine with Segorbe or the Vall de Crist charterhouse in Altura.
Entry is free (donations welcome). Closed Mondays; open morning and afternoon the rest of the week.
Around 16–18 °C all year: welcome in summer, but bring a light jacket.
The Gothic charterhouse of Vall de Crist in Altura, Segorbe 10 minutes away, and the Montmayor trail from the sanctuary itself.
Image: Photo: Pelayo2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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