Albuñuelas: Procession, Church and River Hike

During Corpus Christi in Albuñuelas, residents gather aromatic plants. They use them to cover the streets along the procession route and set up decorated altars on the eve of the procession of the monstrance. On the night before this procession, buñuelos with chocolate are usually eaten. Thus, the festivities include both preparing the public procession route and decorating the altars, as well as enjoying a traditional pastry on the eve of the procession.

Culture and History

The Lavadero del Tío Bayo is a single-storey washhouse near the Arab Torre del Tío Bayo. It is built onto a whitewashed wall. The building has a round arch, side entrances, and a continuous central basin. Its structural features therefore consist of the wall, the openings, and the continuous basin installation, which defines the space from one side to the other.

The original El Salvador Church was built in the 16th century. It was destroyed during the Morisco uprisings; only a few remains of this building survived. After several attempts at restoration, construction of the present-day church began in the 18th century on the site of the former monastery of the missionaries of San Pedro de Alcántara. The history of the site therefore encompasses the original church building, its destruction, and the later construction begun at the former monastery site.

El Salvador Church has three side chapels separated from one another by round arches. It also features a remarkable Baroque altarpiece with an integrated tabernacle. The chapels and the altarpiece are distinct elements of the church interior and add specific architectural details to the established building history.

The Ermita de San Sebastián is located in Barrio Bajo. The single-nave chapel has an elaborately carved wooden ceiling. With its single nave and wooden ceiling, its design differs from the aforementioned architectural elements of El Salvador Church.

Nature

The El Cañuelo area is located a few kilometres from Albuñuelas. For a stay surrounded by nature, it offers tables, barbecue areas, a natural spring, and toilets. Thus, in addition to its location in the surrounding countryside, specific facilities for visitors are also provided.

The El Cañuelo regulated camping area is located in the mid-mountain Sierra Albuñuelas among small, terraced orchards in the heart of the Valle de Lecrín region. The landscape here is therefore characterised by the mid-mountain sierra, the terraces, and the orchards.

A forestry track leads from Loma in the centre of Albuñuelas towards Prados de Lopera. Along the way, the track passes the abandoned Cortijo del Sequero and reaches the La Toba junction after approximately five kilometres. The route thus connects the starting point in the town centre with a named intermediate point and the specified junction.

The Los Callejones del río Santo route is 4.6 km long; its duration is stated as 1 hour and 30 minutes. As a river hike, it passes through water that reaches ankle height and is even deeper in places. Water shoes and a walking pole are required for the route. Anyone planning this hike should take the stated time frame and required equipment into account. Along the route, a large double waterfall is followed by the Los Callejones gorge. The path passes beneath an aqueduct beside an area of archaeological interest. In addition to the watercourse, the described route therefore includes the double waterfall, the gorge, the aqueduct, and the area of archaeological interest.

Other places: Alhama De Granada, Padul, Lojilla, La Mamola, Algarinejo, Orgiva, Belerda, Pinos Del Valle

To the overarching travel overview: Granada.