The church of Los Remedios in Roda

The Ermita de los Remedios, Roda

The Ermita de la Virgen de los Remedios in Roda is attached to the Hacienda, the main estate building in the village of Roda.

The Hacienda itself was built between 1610 and 1620, on top of the remains of a previous construction dating from the end of the 15^th century. When restoration work was carried out in 1997 on part of the building, workers found the remains of the terrace which was laid in the first third of the 18^th century, and it was also discovered that the exterior walls on the garden side of the house, which are around 70cm thick, were built on top of other, far older, walls, which seem to indicate that the old 15^th century building was, in effect, a fortress.

The area was far from stable at that time, and was frequently the object of raids by the Berber pirates, as a result of which very few people chose to actually live here. Those who did lived mostly in solid farmhouses, near watchtowers which could provide refuge for them in the event of an attack. These towers were the first line of defence for both the farmers and the shepherds who brought their flocks south in the autumn.

The first floor of the Casa Grande has an ornamental doorway which leads out onto a large central patio, where there is a substantial house with a tower. This is connected to the chapel of Roda, the Ermita de los Remedios, which is believed to have been built by Jaime Bort, and inside there are various religious images and two splendid oil paintings by Mariano Ballester. In 1908 the church became part of the diocese of Cartagena.

Mass is held once a week, on Sunday morning at 11.30.

Fiestas in Roda

The fiestas of Roda are held in honour of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, whose feast day falls on 2^nd September. The celebrations are part of the annual social calendar for the town and include the enthusiastic participation of the ex-pat population.

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