The hermitage of the Virgen de la Rosa, located about two kilometers from the town of Beteta towards the village of Valsalobre, is a majestic building of the seventeenth century nestled in the heart of the fertile valley of the Guadiela River. According to tradition, the chapel was erected in the place known as “El Rosal”, where, in the sixteenth century, miraculously appeared the image of the Virgen de la Rosa, patron saint of Beteta.
This simple, but elegant temple of large dimensions for a hermitage has a single nave adorned with formeros arches and pilasters, as well as three groin vaults. The presbytery, located at the head, is covered by a hemispherical dome decorated in the baroque style, with beautiful details in pendentives that give it a solemn and distinguished air.
Every year, during the Fiestas de los Mayos, the image of the Virgen de la Rosa is carried in pilgrimage from the parish church to the hermitage, in an emotional celebration full of color and popular fervor. Next to the temple, the old cemetery and the santero’s house are located, recalling the important role that this hermitage has had throughout the centuries.
The location of the hermitage in the plain of Beteta offers a privileged environment surrounded by natural springs and fountains, among which the Baños de la Rosa (Rose Baths) stand out. These baths, of ferruginous waters, owe their striking reddish color to the iron composition of the soil, and have been known since ancient times for their mineral-medicinal properties. This natural environment, of great beauty and historical richness, makes the Virgen de la Rosa hermitage a special place for meditation, the enjoyment of nature and the encounter with tradition.
