The name of this sanctuary dates back to the Middle Ages, when hermits drew water from a holy fountain (Fuente Santa). Much of the sanctuary had to renovated in 1936 after the Spanish Civil War. I have discovered that this is not referred to as a church, but only as a sanctuary.

The entire area is operated by the Benedictine Nuns and this is their residence adjacent to the the Sanctuary.

This is the Casa del Cabildo or Casa del Sacristan which I understand to mean the caretakers of the sanctuary and the monastery.

We arrived inside just as the sexton was turning on the lights. It went from dark to "Oh Wow!"

This is a small place, I don't know how many people it can hold, but the tour guide told us that it is so popular for weddings, the waiting list in 12 months.

This dome painting is by Pedro Flores. It tells a story about the origin of the sanctuary and how the Patroness of Murcia, Fuensanta came to be as revered as she is.

I have several shots of this. One shows a great deal of other parts of the ceiling, but you could not see the actual artistry. This is good.

Throughout the chapel are reliefs by Gonzalez Moreno, a local artist. They all depict scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I believe that I read that there are 10 of these reliefs. This is good stuff!

I walked around a bit and noticed that there was a playground (slide, swings, etc.) that was well tended.

This was on the ground there. I took the picture hoping that I could determine what it is. I cannot. If any of you readers know, please respond.

We had only 45 minutes here, an appropriate length of time.

Walking from the back to the front, this view is between the sanctuary and the nun's residence.

Continue walking along that passageway and this is the view you have when you return to the sunlight.

Murcia, Spain in the morning.

A better view of La Huerta, the orchard, in the previous photo. I am not sure what is under the covers, as the grow many fruits near here. Maybe lemons, I believe it is too late in the season for almonds.

There were many cats on site. Many ran when they saw me, others preferred to eat. I think that they are semi-feral. There were close to 15 of them.

Back in the bus and on our way into the city of Murcia.

It would take me longer than 45 minutes to view all of the sanctuary. What a view when you go out,

Just beautiful!

Exquisite.

I had never heard of the city of Murcia. In upcoming posts you will see what a wonderful place it is. Again, we will be visiting a cathedral. I never intended to do so much picture taking, but I got carried away because of their history and the beauty of the sites.

AND...I will have some door photos to share!

Jim