Vallivana brings together Marian devotion, palaeontological traces and routes of historical significance. The Santuario de la Mare de DĂ©u de Vallivana is a focal point of the pilgrimage tradition: the GR 331 E13 also begins here. The dinosaur site offers a different experience; visiting it is considered an easy route of about 30 minutes. This lets you decide before your trip whether you would prefer to focus on architectural and festival history, a short search for traces, or a hike.
Sanctuary, chapel and image of the Virgin
The sanctuary complex includes a hermitage and a guesthouse; both are currently open to visitors. Check access locally before you arrive. The Chapel of the Apparition is about 600 metres from the sanctuary. According to tradition, it marks the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. The present-day chapel was built in 1922 at the initiative of the Colonia de morellanos ausentes.
The image of the Virgin of Vallivana is a 25 cm-high terracotta figure. Baroque-style garments almost completely cover the original figure. Together with the chapel and sanctuary, these details give Marian devotion in Vallivana a tangible historical and artistic context.
The Sexenni and the route from Morella
Morella is also part of this cultural context: there, the Sexenni is celebrated every six years around the third Sunday in August in honour of the Mare de DĂ©u de Vallivana. It is an event in Morella; during the Sexenni, residents walk the 24 km between Morella and the sanctuary. The celebration thus connects devotion to the Virgin with a walk to the sanctuary.
For orientation, the sanctuary is about 20 km from Morella, on the N-232 towards Vinaròs. The roughly 20 km by road and the 24 km walking route are different distance references and should not be taken to mean the same route. If you plan to travel for the Sexenni, check the festival dates for your year of travel.
Dinosaur footprints and walking routes
The Yacimiento IcnolĂłgico del Barranco de Vallivana consists of a sequence of lacustrine limestone layers containing about 25 clearly recognisable three-toed dinosaur footprints. There are also several partially preserved tracks, which together form a clearly defined dinosaur tracksite. The footprints were made by theropods. The site has been prepared to make it easier to visit; the visit is considered an easy route lasting about 30 minutes.
The GR 331 E13 offers a different perspective. It begins at the Santuario de la Mare de Déu de Vallivana and follows old transhumance routes. These connected former hostels, farmsteads and hamlets such as the now-abandoned Salvassoria. The GR is associated with the ZEPA L'Alt Maestrat, Tinença de Benifassà , Turmell i Vallibana Special Protection Area for Birds and the LIC Tinença de Benifassà , Turmell y Vallivana Site of Community Importance. Check current trail conditions and protected-area regulations before setting out on the hike.
Discover more destinations: Benafer, Coll D'ares, Todolella, Vilafamés, Anroig, Sueras, Morella, Vall D'alba
For the broader travel overview: Castellon.
