Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

El Coto de las Canteras

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Osuna sits halfway up the slope of a hill, commanding a broad view of the countryside. This hill is an elevation formed of rocky calcareous sandstone that appears as outcrops across the territory. This stone has been used since ancient times by the inhabitants of this area to construct their buildings.

For millennia, the ashlars used to build houses, palaces, churches were quarried from the highest promontory, locally known as Cerro de las Canteras. Its ochre colour and porous texture have lent colourful contrast and flavour to the city since the Turdetans and until the mid-20th century.
These lands of ancient Urso are also known as the “Petra of Andalusia” due to its spectacular stone reliefs. These stones have been extracted for building purposes since before the Roman occupation. This rocky substrate has been used as a stone quarry uninterruptedly since at least the Turdetan period. However, the mining operations intensified with the significant amount of construction work carried out under the 4th Count of Ureña in the 16th century. These works continued until the 1960s when the quarry was in production.

The ruins of the Shrine of the Via Sacra stand on the edge of a cliff created by stonemasons. The Shrine was built in the mid-17th century. The Stations of the Cross ended here. Next to it are the remains of tombs cut out in the rock, similar to a Necropolis.

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