Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Reyes El Hierro

Made all the more intriguing by the long history and strong tradition behind it, this whitewashed, rust-roofed, pine-fringed 18th-century chapel conceals the image of the island’s patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Reyes (Our Lady of the Kings; local shepherds bought her from foreign sailors on Three Kings Day, 6 January, in 1545 or 1546). The herreños attribute several miracles to the Virgin, including ending droughts. From the chapel, which gazes downhill to sea, walking routes weave into the hills. Every four years (2021, 2025 etc) the Virgin is paraded around the island on an animated procession, the Bajada de la Virgen de Los Reyes. If you can’t be here for this extravaganza, the late-April Fiesta de los Pastores sees the Virgin carried from her chapel to the Cueva del Caracol, where she was originally kept.