Plaza de la Virgen wide shot.

©Bruce Berghmans/Lonely Planet

Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados

Valencia


The Real Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Santos Inocentes Mártires y Desamparados, to name it fully, is Valencia's central spot for active Christianity. There's serious modern Catholicism at work in the circular baroque space, with South American priests giving almost-non-stop services to ageing parishioners, and a payment kiosk for dedicated Masses. The focus: a highly venerated statue of the Virgin of the Abandoned, patron of Valencia. Due to her slightly inclined pose, she's affectionately nicknamed La Jorobadita (the Hunchback).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Valencia attractions

1. Plaza de la Virgen

0.02 MILES

Busy Plaza de la Virgen, ringed by cafes and imposing public buildings, was once the forum of Roman Valencia. The reclining figure in its central fountain…

2. La Almoina

0.04 MILES

Beneath the square just east of Valencia’s cathedral, the archaeological remains of the kernel of Roman, Visigoth and Islamic Valencia shimmer through a…

3. Museo Catedralicio Diocesano

0.05 MILES

Newly reopened, this cathedral museum is a good-looking blend of the modern and venerable. There are some excellent religious paintings here; it's…

4. Almudín

0.06 MILES

The 15th-century Almudín originally served as the city’s granary, storing wheat brought in from the surrounding countryside. Writing high up on the…

5. Catedral de Valencia

0.06 MILES

Valencia’s cathedral was built over a mosque after the 1238 reconquest. Its low, wide, brick-vaulted triple nave is mostly Gothic, with neoclassical side…

6. El Miguelete

0.07 MILES

Turn left as you enter the main portal of the cathedral for the climb up to El Miguelete, the emblematic octagonal tower. It's apparently 51m high,…

7. Palau de la Generalitat

0.08 MILES

This handsome 15th-century Gothic palace, much amended over the years, is the seat of government for the Valencia region. Its symmetry is recent: the…

8. Palacio de los Borja

0.12 MILES

Built in the late 15th century as a residence for the Borja family, this imposing palace has late-Gothic and Renaissance features and now serves as…