Places of interest in Spain – Carteria

This small village is near the town Guadarranque where one can see the remnants of an ancient Roman city which is spread over one square kilometer. Carteria is located midway between the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is perhaps because of this strategic location that Romans preferred to occupy Carteria first. History also says that before the Romans came, Carteria was a settlement of the Phoenicians who made this place their business center. A village with such great history offers many places of interest for the tourists:

Chapel:

The Saint Roch Chapel, believed to have been built in 1801 and which was designed in the neoclassical style, is one of the most revered places in Carteria. This chapel has a most sacred statue of Saint Roch. It is said that Napoleonic troops destroyed the church including the statue. However, the statue was replaced later with a new one donated by an army officer.

History says that at that time the city was reeling from the cholera epidemic. The officer vowed to donate the new statue if he and his family recovered from the disease. Eventually they did recover and the officer presented the statue to the chapel. In the last week of April every year the statue is taken in a procession to the nearby pinewoods. After prayers are said there, it is brought back to the chapel.

Parish Church:

This is also another important building in Carteria. This church is believed to have been built in the year 1735. The statue of the Patron Saint, Saint Mary crowned, Saint Sebastian and Saint Joseph are venerated here. History says that these statues were brought from Gibraltar.  San Roque’s most famous sculpture called the ‘Most holy Christ of the happy death’ can be found in this church. This holy place is never missed by any visitor.

Luis Ortega Bru:

This is actually the palace of the Governor of Carteria. Now it has been converted into an art gallery. This art gallery has a collection of works by Picasso and many other renowned artists. In addition it also has a magnificent collection of exquisite sculptures.

Beach:

Puente Mayorga and Compamento are two beaches very close to Carteria. The beach has many water sports facilities so that the traveler can spend more time on the beach.

Oil refinery:

This refinery was built in 1967 and is an interesting place worth visiting. This is one of the biggest refineries in Spain, processing about 24,000 barrels of crude oil every day.

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