Sierra de Francia

The Sierra de Francia rises in the southern highlands of Salamanca, its rocky heights overlooking a country of wooded valleys and villages. One of its most conspicuous summits is the Peña de Francia. According to tradition, an image of the Virgin was found there in 1434, and a chapel was built to shelter it. Dominican friars later established a church, convent and hospice on the mountain, making the remote summit a destination for pilgrims.