Description
Virgin del Rocio Cross / Cross of Our Lady
In 1015 AD the original church of Our Lady was built in the Buda Castle District of Budapest. This cross dates to the orinins of the church and combines a stylized crescent moon, which was a very old symbol for the Virgin, with the Christian Cross. In the 13th century Spanish travelers took the cross back to Spain where it became the symbol of the Virgin del Rocio, the patron saint of the isolated Andalucian village of Almonte. For 800 years travelers have made the pilgrimage to that village to honor the Virgin. Many of the pilgrims make the journey on horseback and wear the traditional clothes of Andalucia. The manta estribera is tied across the front of the saddle.
