Point of interest 2/4
Hermitages of San Roque and of the Cross
Audioguide in text
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The Hermitage of San Roque is located at the top of the small hill that presides over the entrance of Suflí wanting to welcome the visitor to the village. It was built around 1753.
Its location reminds believers of the need to rise above the material miseries of the ground, to go looking for the purity of heaven.
From its small square you can perfectly spot all its fertile plain and practically the whole town, forming a harmonious whole very pleasant to contemplate.
Its interior is composed of a large central nave, which ends in a smaller one, being in this, where the main altar is located, presided over by a very old wood carving portraying the patron saint of Suflí, San Roque, where this carving managed to be saved from the burning of all the saints suffered by the municipality on August 14, 1936, a time when some magnificent images of great artistic value were lost. It is a building of simple but attractive structure. The white facade contrasts with the chromatism of the sky and ends in a small bell, as humble as picturesque.
From this hermitage the Holy Week begins with the blessing of the palms and Palm Sunday. On August 16, the image of the Patron Saint, San Roque, is lowered to meet the one in the church and make both images walk together to the main temple.
His companion, the Ermita de la Cruz, is located on the opposite side of the village, being its construction prior to that of San Roque. It is one of the most important enclaves of the municipality, being visited by both locals and tourists, especially by the blessed of the Holy Cross. It is located in the western vertex of the south side of the town, on the so-called “rambla de los yesares”, it is simple and humble; not for that reason, lacking in picturesque attraction and symbolism. It has a square floor plan. The structure of its roof is complex and curious, although in line with its peculiar simplicity.
Inside there is a bare cross, which is kept vigil on May 2 and is surrounded by the best flowers and pots from the houses and gardens of the village. The small door of the chapel, crowned with adobe bricks arranged in an arch, makes us imagine its passage in other times.
The building is integrated in a background of nature in which stands out the historical and gigantic mulberry tree, memory of the time when Suflí was an important producer of silk.
We move now to the fountain to talk about this and the Lavadero de la Zanja, which are important natural points of interest of the traditional municipality.