The Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Peña is a small chapel carved directly into the rock of the cliff at the edge of Mijas Pueblo. According to local tradition, the image of the Virgin was hidden in the rock during the Moorish occupation and rediscovered centuries later, making the site one of the oldest places of Christian devotion in the village.
The chapel is compact — barely large enough for a dozen people — and the cave-like interior, with the rock walls closing in on three sides, gives it an atmosphere quite different from any conventional church. The sanctuary is the object of an annual romería (pilgrimage festival) that draws the whole town. It overlooks a terrace with views down the hillside to the coast.