Devotees dress up to participate in the Fitero pilgrimage honouring Virgin Mary

The Monastery of Fitero is a Cistercian monastery located at Fitero, Navarre, Spain, on the banks of the Alhama River. (Photos: AP)

Devotees of the Rocio Virgin, dressed in traditional outfits dance as they take part in the "Romeria de El Rocio".

People celebrate this procession in honor of the Virgin Mary remembering ancient and devote catholic traditions.

Devotees of the Rocio Virgin, dressed in traditional outfits, dance as they take part in the "Romeria de El Rocio" in Fitero, northern Spain.

Fitero monastery was built during the medieval period, between the 12th and 13th centuries; the abbatial temple, chapter house and what remains of the dormitory and refectory date back to this period.

It was founded, on a different site, in 1141 as part of the Cistercian expansion into Spain from the center at Escaladieu Abbey, and moved to Fitero in 1152.

Devotees of the Rocio Virgin, dressed in traditional outfits take part in the "Romeria de El Rocio" in Fitero, northern Spain, Saturday. Devotees can be seen making merry by singing, dancing and playing musical instruments in honour of Virgin Mary.

A devotee of the Rocio Virgin poses for a photo as she takes part in the "Romeria de El Rocio" in Fitero, northern Spain, Saturday, May 26, 2018. People celebrate this procession in honor of the Virgin Mary remembering ancient and devote catholic traditions.

Durand (Durandus, Durando) was its first abbot, followed by St. Raymond of Fitero, who later founded the Order of Calatrava. The floor plan of the church is similar to that in the monasteries of Clairvaux and Pontigny, a Latin cross plan with three naves, the ambulatory sanctuary with five side chapels