Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

Plaza de la Merced

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The “La Placita”, as it is affectionately known by the locals, was urbanised in 1947–1948. 

At the very centre of the square stands an impressive statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by a sculptor from Castilleja de la Cuesta named Blanco. It was unveiled on 1 June 1958. The proposal to build the statue dates back to 4 May 1947. It was ultimately built with the cooperation of the local people.

The square was named “La Merced” because the land on which it was built belonged to the Mercedarian Order, based in Sevilla. This Order was also the owner of the stretch of land between the Pio XII Street and the road connecting Seville with Huelva. A tile depicting the image of Our Lady of Mercy, the patron of the Order, can be found on the wall surrounding the square. It is a copy of the original that once graced the entrance to the Carmen Iturbide Primary School, where the former convent of the Mercedarian nuns in Gines was located, and of which there are no remains left today.

A tiled plaque in the square, unveiled in 1997, commemorates the origins of the typical Gines-style “chalet”.

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