Editing Andalusia (section)

====Religion====
[[File:Paso de palio de la virgen Maria santísima del amor de San Fernando 04791.jpg|left|thumb|Procession with statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Love of Saint Ferdinand (''Maria santísima del amor de San Fernando''), Cádiz.]]
The territory now known as Andalusia fell within the sphere of influence of ancient Mediterranean [[mythology|mythological]] beliefs. Phoenician colonization brought the cults of [[Baal]] and [[Melqart]]; the latter lasted into Roman times as [[Hercules]], mythical founder of both Cádiz and Seville. The [[Islote de Sancti Petri]] held the supposed tomb of Hercules, with representations of his [[Labours of Hercules|Twelve labors]]; the region was the traditional site of the tenth labor, obtaining the cattle of the monster [[Geryon]]. Traditionally, the [[Pillars of Hercules]] flank the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]. Clearly, the European pillar is the [[Rock of Gibraltar]]; the African pillar was presumably either [[Monte Hacho]] in [[Ceuta]] or [[Jebel Musa (Morocco)|Jebel Musa]] in [[Morocco]]. The [[Roman road]] that led from Cádiz to Rome was known by several names, one of them being ''{{ill|Via Herculea|fr|Via Herculia|it|Via Herculia|sv|Via Herculea}}'', Hercules route returning from his tenth labor. The present [[coat of arms of Andalusia]] shows Hercules between two lions, with two pillars behind these figures.

[[Roman Catholicism]] is, by far, the largest religion in Andalusia. In 2012, the proportion of [[Andalusians]] that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 78.8%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lavanguardia.com/vangdata/20150402/54429637154/interactivo-creencias-y-practicas-religiosas-en-espana.html |title=Interactivo: Creencias y prácticas religiosas en España |date=2 April 2015 |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404024037/http://www.lavanguardia.com/vangdata/20150402/54429637154/interactivo-creencias-y-practicas-religiosas-en-espana.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Spanish Catholic religion constitute a traditional vehicle of Andalusian cultural cohesion,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Opas |first1=Minna |last2=Haapalainen |first2=Anna |title=Christianity and the Limits of Materiality |year=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=UK |isbn=9781474291781 |pages=243}}</ref> and the principal characteristic of the local popular form of Catholicism is devotion to the [[Virgin Mary]]; Andalusia is sometimes known as ''la tierra de María Santísima'' ("the land of Most Holy Mary").<ref>See [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=tierra ''la tierra de María Santísima''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305040134/http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=Tierra |date=5 March 2016 }} in the dictionary of the [[Real Academia Española]].</ref> Also characteristic are the processions during [[Holy Week]], in which thousands of [[penance|penitents]] (known as ''nazarenos'') sing [[saeta (flamenco)|saetas]]. Andalusia is the site of such [[pilgrim]] destinations as the {{ill|Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza|ca|Santuari de la Mare de Déu de la Cabeza|de|Wallfahrtskirche Virgen de la Cabeza|es|Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza|it|Basilica di Nostra Signora della Cabeza}} in [[Andújar]] and the [[Hermitage of El Rocío]] in [[Almonte, Spain|Almonte]].