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Estepa
is to
be
found
just
off
the
A92
highway,
slightly
above
Malaga
in
Andalucia
and is
a
perfect
stop
over
between
Seville
and
Granada.
Over
recent
years,
Estepa
has
grown
to
accommodate
a
swelling
population
and
the
residential
part
of
Estepa
offers
nothing
for
the
visitor.
The
old
town
however,
offers
a
wealth
of
monuments
and
churches.
The
town
has
retained
its
typical
Andalucian
atmosphere,
very
similar
to
nearby
Antequera.
The
town
is
very
peaceful
and
its a
pleasure
to
walk
the
narrow
streets,
lined
with
white-washed
Andalucian
houses
with
churches
dotted
between. |
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Estepa
is
surrounded
by
wheat
fields
and
olive
groves.
The
town
is
famous
for
its
olive
oil
and
its
cakes,
made
from
the
local
flour.
The
people
of
Estepa
are
friendly
and
welcome
visitors;
there
are
not
too
many
foreigners
that
make
their
way
there.
For
the
best
view
of the
town,
head
for
the
castle
and
the
mirador.
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There
are
several
important
monuments
to
visit
in
Estepa
and
several
beautiful
churches.
Here
are
just a
few of
them. |
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The
Victoria
Tower
This
tower,
declared
a
National
Monument
in
1955,
is the
only
trace
that
remains
of the
disappeared
church
of "La
Victoria"
which
belonged
to the
convent
of the
Father
Minims
of
this
town.
The
Minim
Friars
arrived
in
Estepa
in
February
1955.Their
arrival
was
sponsored
by the
Marquis
of
Estepa,
Marcos
de
Centurión,
who
had,
as
these
Friars
an
Italian
origin.
They
had a
close
link,
and
the
marquis
donated
wheat
and
money
every
year.
The
convent
and
the
church
of "La
Victoria"
were
characterised
by the
splendour
of the
artistic
works
that
ornamented
the
temple.
The
decadence
that
this
order
underwent
caused
the
collapse
of
their
buildings
that
began
with
the
processes
of
"decloistering"
of the
19th
century.
The
monks
left
Estepa
in
1835.
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The
church
had a
Latin
cross
ground
plan
with
one
only
nave
covered
by a
barrel
vault.
The
presbytery
was
covered
by an
onion
dome.
The
scallops
where
the
dome
lay
had
the
coat
of
arms
of the
marquises
of
Estepa.
The
tower
is
preserved
with
the
same
beauty
and
splendour
of
1760
when
it was
built.
The
church
had to
be
demolished
in
1939,
even
though
it was
not in
ruins.
The
tower
is 40
metres
high
and it
has
five
bodies.
Bricks
were
used
in its
construction,
although
there
is a
good
quantity
of
stone
used. |
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Santa
Clara
Convent
This
convent
is
located
at the
highest
part
of the
village,
within
the
old
walled
site,
at the
rear
of the
church
of
"Santa
María".
This
is the
eastern
part
of the
hill
of
"San
Cristóbal".
The
first
nuns
of
this
convent
were
the
two
daughters
of the
marquises
who
founded
it in
1599.
The
front
of the
convent
is
made
of
stone,
with a
proto-baroque
design.
It has
a
divided
pediment,
scrolls
and
pinnacles.
There
is a
niche
with a
sculpture
of
"Santa
Clara"
around
which
are
three
coats
of
arms:
the
Centurión's
family,
the
Fernández
de
Córdoba's
family
and
the
one of
the
Franciscan
Order.
Inside
the
convent
is
just
one
nave
with a
barrel
vault
over
arches,
and an
onion
dome
over
scallops
in the
front
part
of the
presbytery.
The
main
altarpiece
is the
centre
of
attention.
The
church
has
harmonious
proportions
and a
good
distribution
of the
altarpieces
and
the
ornamentation
of the
walls.
It has
a
baroque
style
and a
Solomonic
order
and
was
built
by
Pedro
Ruiz
Paniagua.
In the
"manifestador"
(the
place
where
the
Holy
Sacrament
is
exhibited)
we
find
the
sculpture
of the
Virgin
of "El
Pilar". |
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At the
front,
the
wrought-iron
gate
is an
important
work
made
about
1700.
Inside
this
fenced
area
we
find
two
"twinned"
altarpieces
of a
Solomonic
order.
Stylistically
they
are
related
to the
main
altarpiece.
In the
Gospel
side
we
find
the
Blessed
Virgin
(la
Inmaculada),
a work
of the
Sevillian
School.
In the
Epistle
side
we
find
Saint
Joseph
holding
the
Baby
Jesus.
The
cloister
has
wonderful
sculptures
like
the
one of
Our
Lady
of "El
Rosario"
(1620),
the
"Ecce
Homo"
(1650),
"Santa
Catalina
de
Alejandría",
and
different
sculptures
of the
Baby
Jesus
(18th
and
19th
centuries).
Its
most
remarkable
sculptures,
however,
are
"San
Joaquín"
and a
Crucified
Christ
by
Luis
Salvador
Carmona.
Among
the
gold
and
silver
articles
we can
highlight
an
Italian
reliquary
from
the
end of
the
16th
century
and
two
Monstrances,
one
dating
from
the
end of
the
16th
century
and
one
dating
from
the
first
quarter
of the
17th
century
with a
chalice
matching
it.
The
main
altarpiece
was
built
with
the
money
that
the
king
Charles
V owed
to the
marquis
who
granted
this
money
(when
paid)
to the
convent.
The
altarpiece
was
built
with
this
money
two
hundred
years
later.
In the
same
area
you
will
find
several
other
important
buildings
and
the
remains
of the
old
city
walls
that
encircle
the
hilltop.
The
ruins
are
visible
from
miles
around. |
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Church
of Del
Carmen
In
1745
the
fraternity
"Rosario
del
Carmen"
bought
the
houses
near
the
temple
to
build
the
square
known
today
as "Ntra.
Sra.
Del
Carmen"
where
bull-fighting
events
took
place
at the
time.
According
to the
tradition
and
Carmelite
belief,
Our
lady
gave a
scapulary
to St.
Simon
Stock
with
the
promise
that
anyone
wearing
the
Carmelite
habit
and
carrying
the
scapulary
would
enjoy
eternal
life.
Our
Lady
of
Carmelo
is the
protector
of
fishermen
and
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