Fuensanta: Church, Spring and Nature

Location and Landscape

Fuensanta lies on the western edge of the Vega de Granada, in the west of the comarca and on the border with the Poniente Granadino.

The Fuente Santa spring rises at the foot of Fuensanta. The name Fuensanta honours the Fuente Santa spring and incorporates its name into the place name.

The spring and the place name are therefore directly connected. Local tradition is also linked to this site and tells of the appearance of the Virgin at the spring. Fuente Santa is thus both a named natural site and part of the traditional history of the place.

The landscape around Fuensanta offers an environment for enjoying nature. The surrounding countryside provides opportunities for hiking. Fuensanta’s distinctive orography enables visitors to enjoy nature in a variety of ways.

The following places are also available for further exploration: Graena, Villamena, Atalbéitar, Guájar-Alto, Cúllar, Albuñuelas, Cijuela and Lojilla.

History

Fuensanta was founded by the Instituto Nacional de Colonización in the early 1960s. Most of the residents involved in the founding of Fuensanta came from Trasmulas.

The creation of the place therefore dates back to the early 1960s and is connected with the Instituto Nacional de Colonización. The history of its foundation also includes the fact that most of the residents involved came from Trasmulas. The place name, by contrast, refers to Fuente Santa and preserves the natural spring in the current name.

The history of the place thus preserves both the institutional framework of its foundation and the specific connection to the people involved in the creation of Fuensanta. Trasmulas, as the place of origin of most of the founding residents, forms part of this history, while Fuente Santa makes the connection between landscape and place name visible.

Church

The Iglesia de Fuensanta has a longitudinal floor plan with buttresses. The church also has a bell gable with a bell and a cross.

The Iglesia de Fuensanta features the type of church typical of colonisation villages.

Several clearly recognisable features come together in the church: the longitudinal floor plan, the buttresses and the bell gable. The latter includes a bell and a cross. Together with the type of church typical of colonisation villages, these architectural elements give the Iglesia de Fuensanta its described architectural profile.

The church thus presents the building type in a clearly structured form. The longitudinal structure, the lateral buttresses and the bell gable together form the defining elements of the Iglesia de Fuensanta. The bell and cross are visibly part of this termination of the church building.

Tradition and Festivals

According to local tradition, the Virgin appeared at the Fuente Santa spring.

The programme of festivities in Fuensanta includes a verbena. The patron saint’s festival of Fuensanta honours the town’s patron saint.

The tradition surrounding the spring and the patron saint’s festival are therefore connected within a shared local context. The Fuente Santa spring appears as the setting of the story, while the programme of festivities honours the town’s patron saint and includes a verbena.

The patron saint’s celebrations in Fuensanta included a route approximately nine kilometres long.

To the overarching travel overview: Granada.