The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias is the church of Granada's patroness, the Virgin of Sorrows, on the Carrera de la Virgen in the city centre. From the outside it is a brick church with two tiled towers; inside, behind the high altar, hides one of the richest Baroque camarines in Granada, the small chapel built around the image of the Virgin.
The Basílica de las Angustias at a glance
- Where: on the Carrera de la Virgen, a short walk from Puerta Real and the Fuente de las Batallas.
- Built: 1664 to 1671, on the site of an earlier hermitage; the high altarpiece followed between 1728 and 1760.
- By: the master builder Juan Luis Ortega directed the works; the stone portal was carved by Bernardo de Mora.
- What it is today: a working church and the seat of the brotherhood of the Virgin, whose honorary head is the King of Spain.
- Time needed: 20 to 30 minutes.
From a riverside hermitage to the patroness's basilica
The devotion began in the early 16th century with a small hermitage near the river Genil, dedicated to Saints Ursula and Susanna, where a painting of the Pietà donated by Queen Isabella was venerated. In 1567 King Philip II gave the land on which the present church stands. The brotherhood built a hospital here in 1664 and started the church at the same time, finishing it in 1671.
The image of the Virgin dates from around 1565 and is linked to the circle of the sculptor Gaspar Becerra. Its importance grew with the city: in 1747 the brotherhood came under royal patronage, and since then the King of Spain has held the title of its head, or hermano mayor, in perpetuity. In 1913 the image was canonically crowned. Kings and queens have come to pray here over the centuries, and King Felipe VI visited the basilica in 2025.
What to look for
- The towers: two bell towers frame the brick facade, each topped by an octagonal spire covered in glazed tiles.
- The portal: the stone doorway by Bernardo de Mora, with a Pietà in the niche above the entrance.
- The Virgin on the high altar: the patroness stands at the centre of the gilded altarpiece, dressed in a richly embroidered mantle, with the body of Christ at her feet.
- The camarín: the chapel behind the altarpiece, in an exuberant late Baroque style, with polychrome marble, twisted Solomonic columns and frescoes by Juan de Medina and José Hidalgo.
- The apostles: statues of the twelve apostles by Pedro Duque Cornejo stand on brackets along the nave.
September in Granada
The Virgen de las Angustias is at the centre of Granada's religious year. Her feast day is 15 September, and on the last Sunday of September the image is carried through the city in a procession that fills the Carrera de la Virgen and the streets of the centre. The days around the feast are the busiest of the year at the basilica.
Tips for your visit
- Visit outside service times and keep quiet; this is a working church, and visits may be restricted during Mass.
- Dress respectfully: cover your shoulders and avoid beachwear.
- Stand back on the Carrera de la Virgen to see both tiled towers and the portal together.
- If you are in Granada in late September, look up the procession date and route and arrive early for a place on the street.
Nearby
- Fuente de las Batallas: a 19th-century fountain at Puerta Real, the busy square where the centre meets the Carrera del Genil; a few minutes' walk.
- Paseo del Salón: a tree-lined promenade along the Genil, good for a shady walk.
- Granada Cathedral and the Royal Chapel: the Renaissance cathedral and the burial chapel of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs.
- Fuente de las Granadas: a fountain decorated with pomegranates, the symbol of the city.
See Granada with World City Trail
Our Granada scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 31 minutes of walking. The Basílica de las Angustias is one of the stops, and so is the Fuente de las Granadas. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour of Granada and an outdoor escape game in the city.
Play the Granada scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Granada →
Play the outdoor escape game in Granada →
Facts checked in October 2026.