Hermitage of Santa Eulalia

It is one of the few Roman buildings that we can see in Huelva, as the three walls of the apse are those of a mausoleum of imperial times, probably built in the first half of the first century AD and, in its day, must have had a similar appearance to that of the Tower of the Scipiones in Tarragona. The hermitage was erected in the mid-fifteenth century, is located about 20 km from Almonaster and is a beautiful example of the religious-rural architecture of the time. Its interior is decorated with fresco murals dating from the late fifteenth century. The historical-artistic complex is completed by an old bullfighting ring, of ancient and stony architecture, of which there is documented news, at least, since 1678. Its morphology is framed in the scope of the churches of transverse arches of the mountain range. Access to the hermitage is through a baroque porch of mixtilinear arches that extends along the sides of the building. Of this stage, S. XVIII, would also be the belfry of two bodies and the sacristy. In the ends of the apse there are a series of mural paintings from the end of the 15th century or beginning of the 16th century, within the late Gothic period. The hermitage of Santa Eulalia has become, since 1606, the center of celebration of the pilgrimage in honor of the saint, the oldest in Spain. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the Sierra and other parts of the national geography, come every third weekend of May to the place, to participate in one of the most historic and traditional festivals of the whole region. The Hermitage and its surroundings, including the old bullring, has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest within the cataloging of Archaeological Zone. The site consists of an area of Roman habitat, linked to mining, one to the south of the Hermitage and another to the north (the latter with obvious signs of metallurgical activity) and the remains of the necropolis around the hermitage.