The rehabilitation work on the hermitage of San Sebastián, located in the Placeta del Santo, ends with the restoration of its late Gothic mural paintings, which constitute a unique example in the Region of Murcia. In recent months, the City Council has promoted the revaluation of this historic municipal building to turn it into a new public space open to culture.
The importance of these paintings, dating from the late 15th century or early 16th century, lies in their own artistic nature as they are part of the decorative system that prevailed at the time and are an integral part of the building itself and its history. They remained hidden under several layers of plaster for decades, completely losing their visibility. Although during the rehabilitation of the building in the early 90s, they were discovered and recovered.
The Councilor for Tourism, José Santiago Villa, who visited the work carried out by the specialist Laura González, with the supervision of the Restoration Center of the Region of Murcia, highlights that “intervention has been carried out both inside and outside the hermitage , within the actions aimed at improving the conservation of our heritage and the revitalization of the historic center.
The rehabilitation work on the San Sebastián hermitage has had a budget close to 100,000 euros, financed through the Tourism Sustainability Plan 'Road to Caravaca 2024', which is endowed with 5 million euros of the funds as a whole. 'Next Generation', of the Transformation and Resilience Recovery Plan.
The second and final phase of the project is therefore consisting of the restoration of the late Gothic pictorial altarpiece. Previously, a solution was found to the structural and humidity problems that had been accentuating the degradation of the paintings, through a ventilation system.
The process being carried out now focuses on the lower area of the plinth and seeks to restore stability to the paintings and guarantee their permanence over time. In the first phase of the rehabilitation of the hermitage, the work focused on facades and roofs. The existing cracks and fissures in all the walls were sealed, to finally apply a layer of lime mortar, and a new belfry or bell tower was built. Likewise, furniture was provided to host different events.
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