CHURCH AND "CANDELAS"

Parish church of Santa Marta

The deterioration of the former church, today a Hermitage, motivated fundamentally by the passage of time, had as a consequence that at the end of the fifties of the last century began the works of what would be the new parish church of Santa Marta; it turned into a parochial temple in 1966. For its construction, all the neighbours of the municipality, even those who had emigrated, collaborated with contributions according to their possibilities.
Some artistic objects of the Hermitage have been moved, like a baptismal granite font and a Crucified Christ of the 18th century. It has a Latin-cross layout and gable roof, the principal nave is ended by an apse. The sacristy and a chapel are on both sides of the transept; the chapel keeps several images. We can access to the church through a portico, and we will find ourselves in a room where there are the baptismal font and the access to the choir that is located in an upper structure of the nave. We have to highlight the false ceiling that covers the nave from one end to the other, formed by wooden plates.
The tower of the belfry, whose height is about 20 metres, has a nest of a white stork.

Candle Feast

The Candlemas or also called The Candles is the most ancient festivity of Santa Marta. It has its origin back to the 15th century, and since then it has been celebrated every 2nd February (nowadays the first weekend of that month). Four young persons of the village wearing traditional costumes are responsible for leading the Candlemas with the Child while they sing the traditional canticles of "purification". After the mass, it takes place the “Bidding of Banzos” to take the image in the church.