San Roque

05/08/2010 11:27

Overview
San Roque was found by the Gibraltar people who were running away from the British. The British, in 1704, captured the Rock and ransacked the churches and their homes. This town is located at a distance of 35 km from Estepona in the province of Cádiz. The altitude of this town from sea level is about 109 M and it sits on a hill that is looking down at the Algeciras bay towards North Africa. It has a population of about 23000.

This place is located between two continents – Europe and Africa; it is also situated near the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. It has people from three cultures – British, Spanish and Arabic. All these lead to flavors and colors.

The area surrounding this place has beautiful and contrasting landscapes of ocean and sea beaches; the countryside is lively with wild life. This makes the tourism in rural areas very popular. The forest, Pinar del Ray has many fauna and flora.

History
There have been inhabitants in and around San Roque since prehistoric times. Carteia that was founded by Turdetani was the oldest settlement in the municipality. This became a trade post of Phoenicians and later on became a town of Carthaginians in 228 BC. The items traded in this period were mainly local wine and a fish based sauce.

The San Roque village has narrow steep streets and the walls of the houses are whitewashed in Andalusian style.

Climate

The average temperatures in a year are as follows:

Maximum – 25 °C in the months of July-August
Minimum – 13 °C in January-February

Art and Culture
The chapel of “Our Lady of the Pillar patron of Spain” was built in the 18th century. In this you can notice the image of the penitent that was being brought from Gibraltar. The hospital for the poor was founded in the nearby building in 1776 and was administered by the same people from the Chapel.

San Roque Hermitage was constructed in the neoclassic style in the year 1801 wherein the image of San Roque is housed. Romeria is celebrated every year in this village in the month of May.

The Parish Church - Santa Maria La Coronada – has been declared as a historic and artistic monument. The building was started in the year 1735 on the old site of the hermitage of San Roque.

Sports and Entertainment
Popular sporting activities in this town are – water sports, rock climbing, paddle tennis, golf, polo, etc. This place is considered the Mecca of golfers and polo players.