The VIRGEN, Patron of Málaga City and brought by King Ferdinand the Catholic in 1487. Baroque CHURCH built in 1700 with a mid-17th-century altarpiece dedicated to St. Francis of Paula. CRYPT: Built under the patronage of the Count of Buenavista; the mausoleum and white plaster on black walls are worthy of mention. CHAPEL OF THE VIRGIN: Baroque and Rococo style.

The collection

One of the most important churches in Málaga and declared a monument in 1996. The Visit to the Museo de la Victoria includes the crypt of the Counts of Buenavista, the chapel of the Patron, the hall of historical articles of the Virgin and a brief tour inside the basilica.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Victory houses the image of the patron saint of the city. There is an image said to perhaps be the work of a German sculptor and a gift from Emperor Maximilian I to Ferdinand. After fulfilling the prediction of San Francisco de Paula saying that Málaga would be conquered in only three days, the image was given to the city and renamed Victoria.

The exhibition hall houses the treasure of the Virgen de la Victoria in an space adjoining the chapel. Here the patroness of Málaga's trousseau is displayed, including the canopy and mantle donated by Anita Delgado, who was Maharani of Kapurthala. Among the paintings and sculptures is a noteworthy Virgin of the Sorrows by Pedro de Mena.

Inside the basilica we find "The altarpiece of San Francisco de Paula" by Luis Ortiz de Vargas. The Crypt was originally commissioned by the Condes de Buenavista, who built it to house their family vault, because there was no room for burial at the altar which was reserved for another noble family.

It is an impressive space and one of the summits of the Baroque style. The background is black, and white plaster details cover the spaces, creating a uniform whole. Skeletons and death figures stand out in white on the plaster walls.

The building

This Basilica is located in the place which the Catholic Monarchs camped during the siege of Málaga in the Reconquest. It was originally a chapel; the church was built in the early 16th century. It was demolished because of its poor condition and rebuilt in 1700. The tower-shrine, a key piece of Spanish Baroque, was one of the first to be built in the country along similar lines to the one at Guadalupe.

The temple has a Latin-Cross design, elevated choir stalls and, between the pilasters, there are small balcony-platforms that open to the central nave, typical of the Counter-Reformation period. Its central nave is wider and taller than the lateral ones to direct light to the chapels, the transept and the dome light space behind the altar. The auxiliary were demolished creating a wide square that was opened in 1998.

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