Belicena offers several distinct starting points for a stay: the Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia, recurring festivals and routes through the Vega. These bring into focus architectural and art history, specific festival dates and the cultural landscape of the Vega de Granada. If you are planning a short stay, you can choose your focus depending on whether you are more interested in the church, a festival date or routes through agricultural landscapes.

Discover the Church

The Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia has a rectangular floor plan and a single nave. Pointed arches divide it into four sections. A nave is the main space of a church; here, the arches divide this space into a sequence of four parts. The floor plan and the arrangement of the vaults thus come together as specific architectural features. Works of art also form part of the church’s character: San Sebastiano, San Marcos and Cristo de la Misericordia are thought to be among its oldest works of art. Architecture and sacred art therefore offer two distinct ways to explore the building.

Festival Days with Different Occasions

The festival calendar includes two distinct dates. On April 25, the Fiestas de San Marcos are celebrated in the district of Belicena as a patron saint’s festival, with a fair. On January 2, the Día de la Toma is observed there together with the Día de la Merendica. For this occasion, families gather at outdoor spots and/or in tobacco drying sheds for a shared day with lunch. The two celebrations have different emphases: San Marcos is associated with the fair, while January 2 is associated with a shared family meal at the locations mentioned. If one of these dates coincides with your travel dates, check the festival dates in advance.

Park and Cultural Landscape

Parque Huerta del Pilar is located in the district of Belicena and is the oldest and largest park in the municipality of Vegas del Genil. For a different perspective on the Vega, its seasonal crops and cultivation techniques are the focus: visitors can learn about them in the outdoor area of the Centro de Interpretación de la Vega (CIV). The CIV is housed in a former tobacco drying shed dating from 1953. These topics encompass both the Vega’s seasonal agriculture and the former use of a tobacco drying shed, while the park is put into context through comparison within the municipality.

Routes and Their Different Connections

The Ruta del Corazón de la Vega is a circular route that begins and ends at the Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia in Belicena. It passes through irrigation channels, by historic cortijos and through agricultural landscapes. The La Gallina route also passes through Belicena. The connection is broader for the Ruta de las Alquerías: it runs through the municipality and along routes through the Vega. Along the way, it takes in historical, landscape, rural and traditional heritage, including cortijos, caseríos and tobacco drying sheds. The descriptions therefore differ in their geographical scope and themes: the Ruta del Corazón starts and ends at the church, while the Ruta de las Alquerías links routes and cultural heritage across the municipality. Irrigation channels and agricultural landscapes on the one hand, and various forms of rural architecture and heritage on the other, offer specific points of reference for choosing routes according to your interests.

Discover more destinations: Purchil, Orce, Albuñuelas, Jerez Del Marquesado, Guejar Sierra, Montefrío, Cortes De Baza, Huétor Vega.

View the main travel overview: Granada.