Sanctuary Fuersanta

Today I ventured down closer to Murcia to see the Sanctuario la Fuensanta- a Benedictine monastery with its origins going back to 1694 - so not very old at all. It's on the top of a high hill, almost in the mountain, and seems to be a popular place. The car park is massive with a large area for coaches of which today there were five.

I think the significance of the site was lost on me. I have been to the place before, quite a few years back as my mother was with me then. I recall mother, daughter and I having tapas at the restaurant overlooking the city of Murcia. On that occasion the church was closed for siesta so I made sure that today it would be open. Well, it was open but full to capacity with people, probably from the coaches. I got a chance for a brief look inside and confess to being underwhelmed. There was a mass about to start so I escaped outside. It isn't a particularly photogenic building with only the front and towers that might be considered impressive. I wandered around the outside but didn't take many images. It all felt very touristy, somewhere you go to buy tacky religious statues, with the children's playground, picnic area and loads of rubbish bins totally destroying any calm and peace from the monastic atmosphere.

After a while I felt I had had enough of the place and drove back to Algorfa. The journeys there and back were both slow and tedious, going through unimpressive urban developments with speed restrictions and traffic lights, not helped by some very slow moving vehicles and lots of cyclists out for training rides.

I feel it's a place I would not revisit or recommend for its particular interest or photographic potential.