The Royal Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken stands in Valencia's Plaza de la Virgen, connected to the Cathedral by a named archway: Passatge d'Emili Aparicio Olmos.

The basilica's name, Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, is a dedication born of plague. When disease swept Valencia in the 17th century, the city turned to the Virgin Mary, and this was the result.

She became Valencia's official patron saint in 1885, her statue formally crowned in 1921. But look closely at the figure on the altar: she leans slightly forward. Valencians have a name for this. They call her La Geperudeta, the little hunchback.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace the Virgin's journey from plague memorial to civic icon, connecting her story to the Cathedral, the Plaza de la Virgen and the ancient water tribunal that still meets outside every Thursday.