"Where a skeptic became a stigmatist and the Vatican found a light in rural Spain"
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Badajoz
La Codosera, Extremadura, Spain
In May 1945, as World War II ended, the Virgin of Sorrows appeared to two girls in a chestnut grove near the Portuguese border in Extremadura. One was a ten-year-old child. The other, a seventeen-year-old who had come to mock the apparitions, was overwhelmed by a vision that left the wounds of Christ on her body. Nearly eighty years later, the Vatican recognized the sanctuary's spiritual richness, calling it 'A Light in Spain.'
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Quick Facts
Location
La Codosera, Extremadura, Spain
Coordinates
39.1903, -7.1745
Last Updated
Feb 17, 2026
Learn More
The apparitions began on May 27, 1945, to Marcelina Barroso Exposito (age 10) and Afra Brigido Blanco (age 17). The sanctuary was built under episcopal authority beginning in 1947. The Vatican issued a nihil obstat on August 22, 2024, and the site was designated a Diocesan Sanctuary on September 15, 2024.
Origin Story
On May 27, 1945, Marcelina Barroso Exposito saw a dark shape in a chestnut tree. On her return, the shape resolved into the Virgin of Sorrows in a star-covered black mantle. The apparitions continued throughout the summer. On May 30, Afra Brigido, who had come to mock the reports, fell into ecstasy and testified to seeing the Virgin.
The Virgin asked Marcelina to walk toward her on her knees through dry chestnut husks, thorns, and stones, promising that nothing would happen to her. According to the account, a carpet of reeds and grass appeared over the treacherous terrain as the girl walked across it.
On July 22, Afra had a vision of the crucified Christ and received the stigmata. The wounds bled especially on Fridays. The blood was reported to emanate a soft perfume.
Key Figures
Marcelina Barroso Exposito
First visionary, age 10 at the time of the apparitions
Afra Brigido Blanco
Second visionary and stigmatist, age 17 at the time; later worked in a Madrid hospital
Jose Maria Alcaraz y Alenda
Bishop of Badajoz who authorized construction of the sanctuary
Spiritual Lineage
The devotion belongs to the tradition of 20th-century European Marian apparitions, which includes Fatima (1917), Beauraing (1932), and Banneux (1933). The Chandavila apparitions share common features: young visionaries, a rural setting, a message of sorrow and repentance, and a long period of popular devotion before official recognition.
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