Belicena: Churches, Vega and Trails

Culture

Anyone examining the church architecture in Belicena will find a rectangular floor plan and a single nave in the Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia de Belicena. Pointed arches divide this nave into four sections. The clear structure of the interior is therefore one of the church’s striking architectural features. Within the single nave, the four sections form a clearly recognisable sequence inside the rectangular church space.

The church of Belicena is the oldest of the municipality’s three churches. It is dedicated to San Sebastián. It was built on the former site of a mosque. Among the oldest works of art in the Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia de Belicena are San Sebastiano, San Marcos and Cristo de la Misericordia. Thus, the history of the site, the dedication to the saint and the works of art named above come together in this building. Alongside the site’s former use, the dedication and the three specifically named works are therefore also part of the church’s documented history.

On 25 April, the Fiestas de San Marcos are celebrated as the patron saint’s festival. The festival includes a fair in the Belicena district. The date of the festival is therefore associated with both the patron saint’s festival and the fair in the district.

Día de la Toma is celebrated in Belicena on 2 January together with Día de la Merendica. Families meet in natural areas and/or tobacco drying sheds. The shared day includes a lunch. The natural areas and tobacco drying sheds are the stated meeting places for this shared day with lunch.

Landscape

The Centro de Interpretación de la Vega, or CIV for short, is located in a former tobacco drying shed dating from 1953. The building’s historic status and the year are among the CIV’s notable details.

In the grounds of the CIV, visitors can learn about the seasonal crops characteristic of the Vega de Granada. The cultivation techniques used for these crops are also presented there. Parque Huerta del Pilar in the Belicena district is the oldest and also the largest park in the municipality of Vegas del Genil. Thus, the CIV focuses on seasonal crops and the associated cultivation techniques, while Parque Huerta del Pilar is characterised by its age and size.

Trails

The Ruta de las Alquerías runs through the municipality and along paths through the Vega. It showcases historical, landscape, rural and traditional heritage. The named elements include cortijos, caseríos and tobacco drying sheds. The route therefore passes through the Vega and makes various forms of heritage visible, from historic cortijos and caseríos to tobacco drying sheds.

The La Gallina route runs through Belicena. Another destination is Purchil.

The Ruta del Corazón de la Vega begins and ends at the Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia in Belicena. It is a circular route that starts in Belicena and passes through irrigation channels, historic cortijos and agricultural landscapes. The circular route thus connects its starting and ending point at the church with its course through channels, historic cortijos and agricultural landscapes.

For the overarching travel overview: Granada.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Guadix, Colomera, Pinos Genil, Válor, Alquife, Guájar-Fondón, Quéntar.