Benidorm begins its programme of events on 02 March to mark the 286th anniversary of the arrival of the Mare de Déu del Sofratge, also known as Our Lady of the Suffrage.
The commemorations combine exhibitions, music, a pilgrimage and traditional religious ceremonies. The events are all centred around one of the most important dates in Benidorm’s history.
Exhibitions open the programme
The first event is an exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Rondalla of the Associació Cultural i Recreativa La Barqueta.
The display opens at 19:00 on 02 March at the association’s headquarters on Calle Tomás Ortuño and runs until 16 March.
From 02 to 16 March, the Casa del Fester will also host an exhibition of entries from the 23rd School Drawing and Painting Competition, organised by La Barqueta. Prize giving takes place on 12 March at 18:00 at the cultural centre.
Mare de Déu del Sofratge: Concerts
On 14 March, the traditional pilgrimage and offering to the patron saint will depart from Elche Park.
Music takes centre stage on 15 March with two concerts. At 11:00, the Unión Musical de Benidorm will perform “Musicians of the Town” in Plaza Mayor. Later, at 20:00, the Rondalla of La Barqueta will give a concert in the Iglesia de Sant Jaume i Santa Anna.
16 March: the day of l’Alba
The main anniversary falls on 16 March. At 06:00, the traditional l’Alba procession begins, half an hour after the doors of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna open.
During l’Alba, residents accompany the image of the Mare de Déu del Sofratge through the streets of the old town and down to Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas beaches. On returning to the church, a Thanksgiving Mass is held at 07:30. At 12:00 there is a general ringing of the bells, and at 20:00 a final Mass in honour of the patron saint closes the programme.
The Mare de Déu del Sofratge shares the patronage of Benidorm with Sant Jaume Apòstol.
The story behind the image
The name Sofratge is the local pronunciation of “suffrage”, meaning spiritual help for souls in purgatory.
Research by historian Pere Maria Orts i Bosch confirmed that the devotion is linked to a carved image of the Virgin, believed to be a Mare de Déu del Carme figure, found after a ship was burned on Poniente beach in 1740.
According to historical records discovered in the General Archive of Simancas, a vessel appeared adrift in Benidorm Bay on the night of 15 March 1740. Local sailors towed it ashore at dawn. With fears of plague and contagion, authorities ordered the ship to be burned on 05 April.
The Virgin of the Shipwreck
After the fire, children searching through the ashes reportedly found an image of the Virgin and Child intact among the remains. From that moment, devotion to the Mare de Déu began to grow. People first knew her as Mare de Déu del Naufragi, the Virgin of the Shipwreck.
Local residents initially placed the image in a hospital that no longer exists. They later moved it to the parish church and eventually installed it in a dedicated chapel built in 1844. In 1925, the Archbishop of Valencia crowned the image.
In 1926, following a request from the town and local authorities, Pope Pius XI formally declared the Mare de Déu del Sofratge patron saint of Benidorm.
During the Civil War, residents hid the image to protect it. After the war, the community funded a new crown through public subscription and placed it on the image in 1950.
