Our heritage
of our past and a part of our present.
The stones here speak, because they are a part
of our past and a part of our present.
Pego
Ermita de Sant Sebastià
Surrounded by orange groves, the hermitage of Sant Sebastià and the abandoned farmhouse, of which it is a part of, are located in the rural area of Benumeia, approximately one kilometre southeast of Pego. It can be reached by following the Benixats road, taking the diversion to the right called Camí de Sant Antoni, shortly after leaving the town and after crossing the ravine known as Barranc de Benituba.
The place of Benumeia or Benumeya was an old Islamic hamlet that had already been abandoned by the mid-19th century. The original hermitage, probably built on top of the mosque of the hamlet, was likely founded to provide religious service to the recently converted Moorish population. However, what exists now corresponds to a profound Baroque renovation carried out during the first half of the 18th century.
With the depopulation of the area, the temple was also abandoned and used for other purposes, including as a hospital for periods of epidemics and as a lazaretto. Afterwards, it passed into the private hands of various owners, and in the early 20th century it even briefly saw a revival of worship, but it soon fell into disuse again. The complex entered a definitive state of ruin and oblivion that has sadly persisted to this day. Currently, it belongs to the Ortí family from Pego.
As mentioned, both the hermitage and the building of the farmhouse attached to the right side are in an absolute state of ruin, and although the structure remains standing, there is a real risk of it being permanently lost.
The façade of the hermitage is topped with a mixtilinear cornice, above the centre of which rises a stylized brick bell gable that lost its bell long ago. The rectangular door is framed by a neoclassical portal with pilasters and an upper section with a triangular pediment and a niche. The interior is empty and desolate, overrun by weeds, and the roof structure with its two slopes and clay tiles has partially collapsed. In the past, the chapel was presided over by an altarpiece in which the image of Sant Sebastià, carved in Valencia by Jaume Molins, used to be venerated.
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