The Arco de los Reyes Catolicos and the shrine to San Blas in Yecla
Traditions date back to the late Middle Ages at these historic Yecla monuments
On the south-eastern edge of Yecla, next to the hill on which the remains of the castle and the Santuario del Castillo stand, is a small and initially unimpressive-looking arch.
But despite the modesty of its design this arch is held by local tradition to commemorate a visit made by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain to the Villa of Yecla on 4th August 1488. On the other hand, some historians believe that it served merely to mark the boundary between the Jewish and Christian quarters of the town.
This rather more prosaic explanation does not carry much weight among the locals, and after it collapsed in recent times it was rebuilt to be referred to either as the Arco de los Reyes Católicos or as the Arco de Isabel la Católica. Either way, within four years of their visit to Yecla Isabel I of Castilla and Fernando II of Aragón had cemented their place in world history, completing the expulsion of the Moors from the city of Granada and financing Christopher Columbus’ voyages of discovery to the New World.
Just a few metres further up the Calle Iglesia (at number 16) is an ornate wall shrine to San Blas, a popular saint in Yecla since the late 16th century, which is in the neo-Gothic style but dates from the late 19th or early 20th century.
There is also a chapel dedicated to San Blas in the Iglesia Vieja, and every year his feast day is celebrated during the first weekend of February, the most relevant event being the lighting of a bonfire in front of this shrine so that young people can jump over it (and theoretically cleanse themselves of their wrongdoings). On the Sunday morning the figure of the saint is paraded through the streets accompanied by the faithful carrying loaves of “blessed bread”, and the festivities continue in the afternoon in the Plaza Mayor.
The arch and shrine are located in Calle Iglesia, just a minute’s walk from the Iglesia Vieja (or Iglesia de la Asunción): click for exact location.
If visiting Yecla don’t forget to make sure one of your first ports of call is the tourist office (Plaza Mayor, 1, telephone 968 754104, email turismo@yecla.es).
For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Yecla Today.
