La Capilla del Carmen in Santiago de la Ribera
The Church of La Capilla del Carmen, in the Barrio del Carmen
The municipality of San Javier formed in 2 main urban nuclei, one of which was the main centre of San Javier, which was established at the junction of historical pathways, used by travellers, shepherds and traders. The first local place of worship was built at this intersection, while the second population centre was Santiago de la Ribera, which was built up during the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries by the landowners Teresa Sandoval y Mena, who married José María Barnuevo, and Rodrigo de Villamayor de Ulloa, a dignitary in the Order of Santiago.
As the urban centre of Santiago de la Ribera spread inland from the coast, new districts were added, one of them the Barrio of El Carmen. (see here more on the history of Santiago de la Ribera). The initiative came from Don José Romero, a priest working in the Era Alta district in Murcia capital, who promoted the creation of a housing cooperative at the behest of the fishing community.
The new housing district was named as the Barrio Virgen del Carmen, in honour of the patron of all fishermen, the Virgen del Carmen, but it was not until 1982 that the chapel dedicated to the Virgen was built to service the religious needs of this community. The first stone was laid on 8th May 1982, and the chapel was inaugurated on the 16th July 1984, to coincide with the celebration of the Virgen del Carmen on that date.
Every year the Virgen del Carmen is honoured by the fishermen in Santiago de la Ribera, and taken out in a marine procession ("Romería") by boat. To coincide with this, fiestas are held in the district with the chapel at their centre, and the figure of the Virgen del Carmen is also taken out into the district in a land-based parade.
It can be confusing for visitors to the area, who fail to initially understand that there are two different images of the Virgen del Carmen in Santiago de la Ribera: one is kept in the Capilla of El Carmen in the parish church of Santiago, on the seafront, and the second is in the Capilla of El Carmen, which in this case is a more substantial building in its own right, in the district, of El Carmen.
Mass is held once a week in this little chapel at 6pm on Saturday evenings.
Location
La Capilla del Carmen
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