Arco de San Roque or Puerta de Granada in Jumilla

The former gateway out of Jumilla was used to prevent the spread of disease into the town
The Arco de San Roque, also known as the Puerta de Granada, is one of the old gates into and out of Jumilla, and in the past constituted the main entrance and exit in the south-west of the town.

The gate was built in 1642 to replace a wooden chapel which had been destroyed by fire 39 years previously, and used to be closed during times of plague or other illnesses to avoid the entrance of unknowns who might be bringing infections into the town. For this reason it is named after San Roque, the patron saint of protection against epidemics, storms, drought and other evils.

Inside there is a 17th century floor featuring a design made from Valencia tiles. These tiles show mainly green and yellow motifs, and in the centre are the key aspects of a holy pilgrim, namely a hooded cloak, a stick with a gourd, a dog with a loaf of bread in its mouth, the holy scriptures and, in this case, two lions with human faces.
The two tiles showing a church with a bell-tower and blue dome are thought to have come from close to the altar of the old chapel, and another feature is a niche containing a 125-centimetre figure of San Roque, a replacement of the 1785 original which was sculpted by Roque López y Hernández.
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