In 1949 the then Bishop of Jaén, D. Rafael García y García de Castro, declared the Royal Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza a parish, so that it would take care of spiritually the neighbors of its mountain environment, scattered in the different farms of the surroundings, in the town next to it and in the one next to the La Lancha reservoir, built in the twenties of the twentieth century.

But until it became a parish seat, the Sanctuary has gone through various vicissitudes, since its inception. According to all indications, the construction works began in 1287 and ended in 1304, with the first being a small hermitage that the town of Andújar built in the heart of Sierra Morena. However, the extensions and reforms have been almost constant throughout the ages, reaching its maximum splendor in the 16th century, 1530 and 1590, when it became a Sanctuary, very similar to the one we know today.

Already in the 20th century, during the civil war, the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza was the scene of an act of arms that has been linked to its history. In 1936, a group of civil guards and countrymen under the command of Captain D. Santiago Cortés González took refuge in the Sanctuary, resisting the attack of the republican troops for almost eight months. The result was more than a hundred deaths, the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the image of the Blessed Virgin of the Head.

Later, the General Directorate of Devastated Regions proceeds to rebuild the Sanctuary. To this end, an Executive Commission was set up in April 1940, chaired by the General Director, Mr. José Moreno Torres, being elected in 1941 as architect Mr. Francisco Prieto Moreno, curator of the Alhambra in Granada. The works were finished in 1943, the expenses being covered by a popular subscription at the national level.

The central nave is separated from the Main Chapel by a 16th century grille, restored by the Granada School of Arts and Crafts, which closes an opening with a semicircular arch. The Main Altar has a large space in the center, behind which is the Virgin's dressing room; carving of José Navas Parejo, who replaced the old one that disappeared during the civil war.

The side chapels of the nave are occupied by different altars, containing various images, such as a Crucified by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure, the Virgen del Pilar, Blessed Marcos Criado, San Juan Bautista de la Concepción, the Holy Trinity and the Virgin of Carmen . In the choir there is a magnificent organ, a gift from the Civil Guard, inaugurated by the famous master organist Guridi. Behind the Main Chapel is the sacristy.

The Trinitarian Community has undertaken two new extensions. The first consisted of raising the projection floor, building another pavilion in the rear area of ??the North wing. Thus, the entire structure of the cloister courtyard was completed in a harmonious and functional way. The second phase was carried out in 1965 in the entire north wing, adding a three-story building to expand the dependencies of the Trinitarian priests who attend the cult, permanently since 1930.

They recently created a Marian museum that preserves a large amount of furnishings and works of art that show the importance that Our Lady of the Head has had and still has over the centuries.