Are you coming to discover it?
Are you coming to discover it?
Located in the Rucoba district, was listed as a Site of Cultural Interest in 1983, it is believed to be the first church built in Limpias. Documents confirm its construction around the early 15th century, built around a small pre-existing monastery on the same site. Subsequently, chapels were added to the church, eventually forming a three-nave temple with late Gothic ribbed vaulting.
The main entrance features a Herrerian-style portal with a two-tier stone altarpiece of an innovative design for its time, depicting Saint Peter in the centre, flanked by Saint Paul and Saint James. Inside, the church houses an altar dominated by a magnificent main altarpiece, dating from 1773. This altarpiece was funded by the distinguished local figure Don Diego de la Piedra Secadura, a Knight of the Order of Saint James, who lived in Cádiz and held the position of Deputy for Trade and Consulate of Peru. He later interceded for the transfer of the Holy Christ of Agony to Limpias from Cádiz around 1776.
For many years, the Church of San Pedro has been an important place of visitation and pilgrimage. It continues to attract significant interest, receiving many visitors each year from across Spain and other countries. Mystery has always been present in the history of this church.
In the district of Seña, you will find the interesting San Pedro Advincula Church, built between the 16th and 17th centuries. It is renowned for its main altarpiece, in Churrigueresque style, from the early 18th century, featuring the image of Saint Peter. Another notable altarpiece within the church is the one of the Gospel, dating from the 17th century, depicting the Visitation. The building also features a tower-bell tower and a polygonal apse.
Inside, there is an altarpiece attributed to the joiner Rodrigo de Los Corrales Isla (from Noja), who in 1615 carried out several works in nearby churches such as those of Laredo, Ajo, and San Mamés in Meruelo.
According to bibliographic sources, another altarpiece, which was originally located in Laredo, was transferred to Seña in the 17th century. This altarpiece of Saint Sebastian no longer exists today. These sources mention: "There is no altarpiece under such an invocation, though it is believed that the style of Rodrigo de Los Corrales can be recognised in the altarpiece of Our Lady of the Rosary (which may have replaced that of Saint Sebastian) as well as in the one of 'The Visitation'."
In the district of Seña, you will find the interesting San Pedro Advincula Church, built between the 16th and 17th centuries. It is renowned for its main altarpiece, in Churrigueresque style, from the early 18th century, featuring the image of Saint Peter. Another notable altarpiece within the church is the one of the Gospel, dating from the 17th century, depicting the Visitation. The building also features a tower-bell tower and a polygonal apse.
Inside, there is an altarpiece attributed to the joiner Rodrigo de Los Corrales Isla (from Noja), who in 1615 carried out several works in nearby churches such as those of Laredo, Ajo, and San Mamés in Meruelo.
According to bibliographic sources, another altarpiece, which was originally located in Laredo, was transferred to Seña in the 17th century. This altarpiece of Saint Sebastian no longer exists today. These sources mention: "There is no altarpiece under such an invocation, though it is believed that the style of Rodrigo de Los Corrales can be recognised in the altarpiece of Our Lady of the Rosary (which may have replaced that of Saint Sebastian) as well as in the one of 'The Visitation'."
The hermitage, believed to have been designed by Juan Antonio de Vierna, a neighbour of Meruelo and architect of the Royal Factories of La Cavada, is located in the picturesque district of Espina and dates from the early 18th century. Its present appearance corresponds to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The ensemble represents a very late example of Baroque architecture. It consists of a single rectangular nave divided into two sections, both covered by ribbed vaults. The hermitage preserves several paintings from the Andalusian school of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The hermitage is first mentioned in historical records in 1708, when the chapter ordered it to be cleaned and a new frontal to be placed. Between 1751 and 1757, several donations were made for the hermitage by Don Gregorio de Palacio and Don Jerónimo de Angulo, natives of Limpias and deceased in Lima (Peru), as well as Don Juan de Helguero, a Knight of the Order of Saint James, also residing in Peru.
On 21st December 1778, José López de Haro, the parish priest of Limpias, declared that he had been granted a licence in 1776 to construct two hermitages, one in the Rivero district and another in Espina. He further stated that he had received 4,034 Reales from Don Diego de la Piedra, a Knight of the Order of Saint James, originally from Limpias but residing in Cádiz, as part of the legacy left by the late Don Jerónimo de Angulo, Count of San Isidro and a resident of Lima (Peru), “to aid the construction of the Hermitage of Pity, which was more than halfway completed.” The final reconstruction of the hermitage took place between 1794 and 1807, with a master named Avendaño, from Liendo, responsible for the work.
Its altarpiece is beautifully crafted in a neoclassical style, with a single Ionic order, tetrastyle, topped with a curved broken pediment. This pediment features a painting of the Saviour. The titular image of the Virgin with the Child is a modern work. The polychromy of the altarpiece mimics marbles and jaspers. Inside, there are paintings that may have been part of the donation made by Don Diego de la Piedra Secadura to the parish church, considering he also administered the donation for the hermitage from Don Jerónimo de Angulo. The paintings related to Don Diego de la Piedra's donation are framed in gilded frames with scallop designs (a reference to the Order of Saint James) at the corners. They include "The Holy Family," "The Last Supper at Emmaus," and "The Virgin," all painted in an unmistakably Andalusian style reminiscent of Murillo, which was common in Cádiz in the second half of the 18th century.
Two other canvases, painted in the Murillo style, "The Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth" and "The Betrothal of the Virgin and Saint Joseph," are framed in 19th-century gilded frames and may have been installed after the reconstruction of the hermitage in 1807. Two additional Murillo canvases with unadorned frames, "The Immaculate Conception" and "The Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Saint Dominic," must have come from another donation, as the Immaculate features an inscription referencing the donor, Ungo de Lombera. The painting of the Apparition of the Virgin to Saint Dominic is attributed to the romantic Sevillian painter José Gutiérrez de la Vega, based on its striking resemblance to a similar work in the Durán Collection in Madrid, dated before 1830.
José Gutiérrez de la Vega (Seville, 1781 - Madrid, 1865) was a Spanish painter specialising in portraits and religious themes. He was an honorary court painter, professor, and lieutenant director of the Fine Arts Academy of Santa Isabel de Hungría in Seville, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the Artistic and Literary Lyceum in Madrid.
The original Hermitage of San Roque was located slightly higher than its present position. The earliest records of the building date back to 1715, when repairs were carried out costing 32 reales. This marks the documented beginning of its history. In 1726, the hermitage was enhanced with the addition of a collateral altarpiece, which has since disappeared.
However, by 1757, the hermitage was in considerable disrepair. Descriptions from the time place it in the midst of a chestnut forest, suffering due to the age of its construction, the prevailing humidity, and the irregular terrain supporting it. These factors contributed to its physical decline, creating an urgent need for intervention. The solution adopted was the reconstruction of the hermitage at its current location, strategically chosen at a crossroads of public roads to facilitate access for the faithful. The work cost 1,066 reales and was carried out by Juan del Palacio Helguero.
The uniqueness of its design and the richness of its spiritual content have established the Hermitage of San Roque as a prominent element in the cultural and religious heritage of Limpias, keeping the devotion to the saint alive within the community.
The 18th-century Hermitage of San Roque is distinguished by its main chapel, which has a coadrangular plan, i.e., elongated in one direction beneath a ribbed vault, creating a crossed ceiling.
The triumphal arch separating the main chapel from the nave features a semicircular arch with Tuscan pilasters. The nave is covered with wooden beams. The walls are built of masonry, reinforced with corner ashlar blocks to provide stability. The façade is highlighted by a capanel arch supported by Tuscan pilasters, enclosing a parapet or small wall that surrounds the entrance area. The stone portal is enhanced by turned balusters, allowing for devotion and participation from the exterior, a significant feature considering the strategic location of the hermitage at a crossroads.
The structure also includes a small bell gable where the bells are located and an adjoining sacristy for storing liturgical items. Inside, there is a neo-Gothic altarpiece housing a valuable 17th-century image of Saint Roque, attributed to García de Arredondo. This element not only stands out for its devotional significance but also contributes to the artistic heritage of the hermitage.
On the feast day of Saint Roque, the following song was sung during the procession, as recalled by the elders:
"Hermitage of San Andrés.
For a physician, you're divine,
With miraculous signs you shine,
Free us from plague, from all that's due,
Saint Roque, the Pilgrim, kind.
Between fasts and harshness
Through fasting and hardship you begin,
You're a child, yet a saint so pure,
Oh, what destinies you ensure!
You taught mankind the way so true,
Free us from plague, from all that's due,
Saint Roque, the Pilgrim, kind.
For as a lawyer against the plague,
By your intercession, help us wake,
This suffering nation, always true,
Has venerated you, through and through.
A pilgrim poor, you came with grace,
Free us from plague, in this sad place,
Saint Roque, the Pilgrim, kind."
This was a small chapel, which today forms the apse. The exterior features buttresses at the corners, suggesting it may date from the 15th century.
Inside, there is a small stone pulpit and a holy water font formed of a cup and pedestal, as well as two images: one depicting the patron saint, Saint Roque, and the other representing Saint George slaying the Dragon.
