Ermita de Sant Antoni

We have lived in Pego for over a year now and think we have explored the surroundings in great detail. Yet we recently discovered during a cycle trip. In the mountains near Benisuleima, an old Moorish settlement, we came across the Ermita de Sant Antoni.

Historical treasure

The history of this location dates back to the first century, when a Roman villa stood here. During the Arabic period, the site became a farmstead belonging to the castle of Ambra. We do not see it ourselves, but inside there is an image of San Antonio Abad accompanied by the traditional ‘porquet’, the little pig.

Every year on 17 January, the local population celebrates the feast of San Antonio Abad here. Visitors maintain the tradition in which the priest blesses animals and those present walk around the hermitage three times for protection. There is also a ‘porrat’, a type of fair.