Located on the outskirts of the town of La Parra and in the middle of the beautiful landscape of the valley, we find the beautiful Hermitage of San Juan, so loved by the residents.
La Mesta has bequeathed to us one of the most singular and attractive monuments of the town: the Hermitage of San Juan and its peculiar Plaza de Toros with an irregular ring and loopholes through burladeros. It was a resting place for the cattle on their last day before reaching the pastures of Feria and La Parra.
The building denotes being, built on top of Roman ruins. It is possible that during this time it was a farmhouse, as witnessed by the Roman discoveries. Located north, 1 km. away from the town, located in the countryside, next to the "Entrin" stream and on the banks of the Cañada Real, located in the area of the routes connected with the itineraries of the Mesta. It served as a halt and rest stop for transhumant farmers and was closely related -at first- with the Order of the Temple and later with the Order of Santiago through the initiative of the Lords of the Duchy of Feria (D. Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa) , whose coats of arms preside over the entrance to the hermitage.
The Hermitage is made up of the following dependencies:
Chapel.
Refectory hostelry.
The holy water font: a Roman piece discovered at the beginning of the 18th century, with which the existence of an imperial Roman settlement called CALPURNIANA is related, a supposed antecedent of the population. El Madoz, when referring to this town, says the following about this Roman piece:
In the year 1706, a white marble tombstone was unearthed, 1 1/2 vara high and 1 1/2 wide, with an inscription, which today serves as the holy water font of that temple, in which it is contained that was buried there: Helvia Çemodesia, 40 years old, mother of Liçio Blaio Calpurniano, who clearly says:
D.M.S.
Helvia Çemodesia
ANN XXXX H.S.E.S.T.T.L.
L. Blaivs. calpurnianvs
Matri. pientissimae
Postvit.
Its translation is as follows: «Sacred Manes Gods: Helvia, from an illustrious and virtuous family, died at the age of 40. Luçio Blayo Calpurniano dedicated this monument to his dear mother».
It is a Roman piece with Latin inscriptions and a Visigothic recording of the Lamb, reused as a font for holy water.
Brotherhood of the Holy Christ of Mercies. the vine
Translated by Google •
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