Sanctuary of La Fuensanta

Sanctuary of La Fuensanta provides a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the orchard. The church houses the image of the patron saint of the city. Its name comes from the fountain at his feet and to whose waters, the faithful people, attributed healing properties.

The church building began in 1694. The facade was completed in 1705 designed by Toribio Martínez de la Vega. The facade had reliefs and sculptures designed by Jaime Bort, and completed by José Balaguer.

The first retablo in the church was completed by the 17th-century and carved by Antonio Dupar, however, this was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War of 1936. The present retablo is a 10th-century work by Antonio Carrión Valverde and Nicolás Prados López.

During the civil War the church suffered the destruction of its interior which in the half of the 20th century its restoration was completed.

Inside there are splendid reliefs and sculptures by González Moreno. The paintings and murals of the dome and choir are the work of the painter Pedro Flores. In the first, the town and history of Murcia are represented in a pilgrimage of the Virgin, with Alfonso X, the Count of Floridablanca, Cardinal Belluga, Francisco Salzillo and other illustrious characters of the history of Murcia. The choir depicts the coronation of Our Lady of Fuensanta on the Old Bridge (Puente Viejo).

The temple is located in the El Valle y Carrascoy Regional Park, a protected natural space that dominates the whole of the Murcian plain. In addition, around the Sanctuary there are other points of interest such as the so-called Fuente Santa (Holy Fountain) in Renaissance style, the Casa del Cabildo or Casa del Sacristán, in neo-Arabic style, or the monastery of the Benedictine nuns - connected to the Sanctuary by an arch.

Close to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Fountain are the Hermitage and the Monastery of Light (Monasterio de la Luz), whose first settlers were Anacoretas, the Hermitage and San Antonio el Pobre Visitor Center and the Convent of the Franciscans of Santa Catalina del Monte, places which are well worth visiting.

References:

• Murcia Tourism

Address

Urbanizacion la Fuensanta 8, Murcia, Spain

Details

Founded: 1694
Category: Religious sites in Spain