The best gravel rides around El Pedroso

El Pedroso is a municipality in the province of Seville, Spain, with a population of 2,074. It is located in the Sierra Norte region of Andalusia. The municipality is part of the Sierra Norte Natural Park. ...

The hermitage of the Divina Pastora is a contemporary building in Andalusian style, crowned by an artistic bell tower. Construction began in 1956 according to plans by the Sevillian architect Aurelio Gómez Millán. Its popular brick and tile festivals stand out, in which the devotees collaborated by providing these materials for their construction. The works were completed on September 30, 1960. Inside, it contains an altarpiece with a painting of the Divine Shepherdess by the Sevillian painter Juan Antonio Rodríguez. On the façade there is a ceramic altarpiece of 1.20 x 2 m, a work from the mid-twentieth century by Alfonso Chaves Tejada, made by Ramos Rejano in Seville.

The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad in Cantillana is a beautiful chapel dedicated to the Virgen de la Soledad, the patron saint of the village. The chapel is in Baroque style and consists of a single, spacious nave closed by a beautiful plaster cross vault. The front of the chapel is adintel and is flanked by pilasters that crown a pediment with a pinnacle. The facade is decorated with azulejería. Inside the chapel is a neoclassical altarpiece in which the Virgen de la Soledad is venerated, together with portal altarpieces of Santa Rita and San Sebastián, the patron saint of the village. The chapel is approximately 20 metres wide and 35 metres long, and is well preserved. The church has a plaque with a text confirming the canonical patronage of the Virgen de la Soledad over Cantillana. This plaque is decorated with Baroque style and was made by local artist Luís Manuel López Hernández in 2005.

Cantillana is a charming village in the province of Seville, in the heart of Andalusia, Spain. It is located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, giving it a picturesque location with rich vegetation and beautiful views. Cantillana has a rich history dating back to Roman times and offers several historical sites, such as the Piedra del Moro and the remains of the old city walls. The Torre del Reloj is an impressive building that forms part of the historical heritage of the village. The village is also known for its religious monuments, such as the Iglesia del Dulce Nombre de Jesús y Santa Misericordia and the Ermita de San Bartolomé. These churches and chapels are beautifully preserved and offer a glimpse into the religious and cultural traditions of the region.

The Ermita de San Bartolomé in Cantillana is a historic chapel originally built in the 15th century. The chapel is located in the Plaza de Llano, a central square in Cantillana. It has a basilica plan with three naves, separated by brick columns supporting pointed arches. The roof is wooden, with a central coffered ceiling and hanging on the sides. The exterior has been intensely transformed, highlighting the main entrance of the eighteenth century. The chapel has a beautiful main door from the 18th century and contains several altarpieces and statues, including the image of Jesus of Nazareth and Saint Bartholomew. Currently the hermitage of San Bartolomé houses the images of Our Lady of the Assumption, Saint Bartholomew, Our Father Jesus and Our Lady of Consolation, from the Baroque period, and the painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, from the eighteenth century, with some interest in the wall paintings with themes of angels with inscriptions between rock formations, datable to very late dates in the eighteenth century

Here too there is a stork's nest on the tower.

The Iglesia del Dulce Nombre de Jesús y Santa Misericordia in Cantillana is a beautiful historic building originally built in the 16th century. This church has a rich history and was once used as a hospital, probably run by a brotherhood. Originally the church had one nave, but later another was added on the side of the epistle. The facade of the church is made of exposed brick and is topped with an artistic tower with a tiled facade. Inside the church, the ceilings are made of wooden beams, with a gable roof in the main naves and simple chapel floors in the side aisles. The entrance to the church is in a typical Mudéjar style, with an oculus formed by bricks surrounded by blue, white and honey-coloured tiles. The tower has a semicircular arch with alfiz and is topped with a mixtilinear pediment and a cast iron weathercock. The church houses an 18th century altarpiece, on which there is an image of the Holy Jesus of the School of Seville, together with a painting of the Virgin of Mercy. Another special feature of the church is the simpecado of the Virgin of Belén, a precious plate with an embroidery of silver on red velvet. The church is also the seat of the brotherhood of San Benito Abad of Cantillana, and from the last weekend of August a pilgrimage to the hermitage of the Saint in Castilblanco de los Arroyos starts from this church.

Note that on top of the tower you can also find a stork's nest. The valley of the Río Guadalquivir is also popular with storks.