In February 2024, a group of pilgrims went to Rome to formally ask the Pope to advance the cause for the beatification of Queen Isabella I of Castile, “the Catholic” – considered the most important monarch in Spanish history, although her reign was far from perfect. The fact that a pilgrimage was organized to the sanctity sheds light on one of the lesser known facets of this singular woman.
The famous Spanish queen (1451-1504) has been studied by virtually all kinds of scholars. She was a political strategist and reformer, and the main promoter of Columbus’ trips to the Americas. But there is a lesser-known aspect of her personality that remains somewhat unknown: her constant visits to places deemed sacred. She was, in short, a pilgrim queen.
Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
In 1486, at the height of the War of Granada, Isabella the Catholic and her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon, went on one of their most important journeys: the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. We have a precise account of what happened during that pilgrimage thanks to two very valuable documents: the Chronicles of Hernando del Pulgar and the notebooks of the queen’s almsgiver, Pedro Díaz de Toledo, which record each maravedí given to the poor on the queen’s behalf along the way.
The monarchs left in the spring, following the current Camino de Levante. During her journey, the queen combined religious devotion and the administration of the kingdom, holding audiences and solving conflicts in every city she passed through.
Upon arriving in Santiago, Isabella and Ferdinand did exactly what every pilgrim would do. The queen humbly entered the cathedral, spent long hours in prayer before the Apostle’s tomb, participated in the pilgrims’ mass – and left valuable offerings in the cathedral, filling the treasury of Santiago de Compostela. She also ordered the construction of the most modern pilgrims’ hospital of the time, right next to the Cathedral.
Guadalupe, the crown’s jewel
But another sanctuary occupied a privileged place in Isabel’s heart: the Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe in Cáceres. There are at least seventeen documented visits she made to this sanctuary, revealing an extraordinary relationship between the queen and this Marian shrine.
Isabella’s first significant visit to Guadalupe happened in 1464 –and it was not exactly pleasurable. Her brother, King Henry, wanted to marry her to the heir of Portugal –against her will. But despite the circumstances, Isabella fell in love with the shrine. The future queen sought the protection of the Virgin of Guadalupe, establishing a bond that she would maintain even after her death.
She returned to Guadalupe after every watershed moment during her reign. After the conquest of Granada in 1492, she made a thanksgiving pilgrimage, offering the Virgin several trophies. She returned before and after Columbus’ voyages, making the monastery a privileged witness of the moments that would change the history of Spain and America. Finally, she asked the Hieronymites of Guadalupe to guard her Testament after her death.
The Queen’s visits to Guadalupe followed a characteristic pattern. She usually arrived with a small entourage, seeking moments of spiritual intimacy. She would stay with her family at the nearby farm palace of Mirabel. From there, she would access the monastery through what is now a hiking trail named after her.
During her stays, Elizabeth followed the monastery’s schedule. She attended liturgical services with the monastic community, spent long hours in prayer before the Virgin’s image, and engaged in spiritual conversations with the Hieronymite monks. Documents preserved in the monastery explain how the Queen took a special interest in the Hospital of Guadalupe, one of the most important ones in the 15th and 16th centuries, and in the social work carried out by the monks.
Isabella’s generosity to Guadalupe was extraordinary. On each of her visits, the queen brought valuable gifts: liturgical ornaments, jewelry for the Virgin, tapestries, and precious objects that enriched the monastery’s treasury. Among her most notable gifts were several sets of liturgical vestments embroidered with gold, and a magnificent robe that was once her own.
Isabella’s visits turned Guadalupe into a royal spiritual retreat. Her example was followed by her successors, establishing a tradition of royal devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe that would last for centuries.
The Pilgrim Queen
Isabella the Catholic’s pilgrimages helped shape Spain’s history. Her personal devotion strengthened both the Jacobean tradition and the veneration of Guadalupe. The religious model she established, combining personal devotion and political power, had a decisive influence on Hispanic monarchy.
Her pilgrimages, especially her frequent visits to Guadalupe, reinforced her image as a Catholic queen, and contributed to the territorial and spiritual consolidation of the kingdoms she ruled. Her example set a precedent that would influence the Spanish monarchy for centuries: it became a tradition for the kings of Spain to go on pilgrimage to Guadalupe, along the route that is now the Camino Real. Discover this Camino by yourself!