Santa Faz brings together pilgrimage history, sacred architecture, and recurring festival traditions. When planning a stay, you can start by distinguishing between the reasons for your visit: are you mainly interested in the Santa Faz relic, the pilgrimage route, or the festivities on a particular date?
Pilgrimage Church and Architectural History
Behind the main altar, the pilgrimage church has an octagonal CamarĂn, where the Santa Faz relic is kept. Its location and shape make the chamber a distinctive detail of the church’s sacred architecture. If you are interested in religious history, this specific architectural feature connects a place inside the church with veneration of the relic.
The first convent and the first church of Santa Verónica were founded between 1489 and 1490. Later, the Santa Faz convent was reconstructed between 1751 and 1756; its completion took place between 1766 and 1785. These dates describe different stages in the building’s history: the founding of the early religious complex and the later reconstruction of the convent.
The Santa Faz Tower is a remnant from the 16th century. It has a rectangular floor plan and a truncated pyramidal structure, combining classicist and defensive features. Alongside the octagonal CamarĂn, the tower offers a different architectural highlight. Anyone interested in architectural forms will find another specific topic here, in addition to the convent’s history.
Historic Routes and Pilgrimage
The historic routes through the old Huerta de Alicante are part of the landscape heritage associated with Santa Faz. Generations travelled along these routes to venerate the relic and take part in La Peregrina. The pilgrimage route from the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás to the Santa Faz convent is eight kilometres long. This makes it possible to consider the pilgrimage tradition both through the historic routes in the Huerta and through a named route with a specific distance. If you would like to make the route a focus of your trip, its length gives you a practical reference point for planning.
La Peregrina and Festival Traditions
The annual Santa Faz pilgrimage, known as La Peregrina, takes place on the second Thursday after Maundy Thursday. Its date therefore follows a movable-date rule. If you would like to plan your trip around the pilgrimage, check the specific date for the year in question.
The Santa Faz celebration includes a paraeta, where visitors can sample anise rolls and Mistela. From Thursday to Sunday, a market with more than 100 stalls is also held around the Santa Faz convent. The tasting adds a culinary aspect to the celebration alongside its religious tradition.
The Fiestas de San Antonio de Padua are also celebrated annually in Santa Faz, around June 13. They run from Thursday to Sunday, with the Sunday immediately after June 13 as the reference day. The programme includes a paella competition on Saturday in the streets of Santa Faz. Individual programme items may change, so it is worth checking the dates and programme for your trip.
The Mercado de Santa Faz in 2024
In 2024, the Mercado de Santa Faz ran from Tuesday, April 9, to Sunday, April 14, and was open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The venues were Plaza de Luis Foglietti and the adjacent streets. The market included six stalls selling traditional festival products, including medals, pottery, ceramics, and garrotes. These specific details refer to the 2024 edition. If you would like to include the Mercado in a later trip, check the dates and opening hours for the year in question.
Discover more destinations: El Moralet, Monnegre.
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