San Roque chapel in Cretas

The San Roque chapel in Cretas stands beside a former town-wall gateway with a lowered exterior arch and a round interior arch. The chapel is accessed via a lateral staircase. It has a square floor plan and an open-chapel structure. Its most distinctive feature is the hemispherical dome, supported by pendentives and topped by a central lantern.

The chapel’s portal consists of two superimposed round arches. The lower arch belonged to what once functioned as a hospital, while the upper arch is distinguished by a springing impost and a chambrana moulding. The chapel is crowned by a prominent cornice decorated with pinnacles and balls in the Herrerian style.

The San Roque chapel has historically been associated with protection against epidemics and disease, especially the plague, which struck Cretas during the 17th century. This epidemic led to the construction of the chapel, as well as the hospital that operated in the same building.

The hospitals of the time served a dual purpose: as a refuge for those in need and as a place of care for the sick and wounded in times of war. This hospital remained in operation well into the 19th century.

The column that now stands in the plaza Mayor was located until 1962 at the exit of the Portal de San Roque, where today we can see the “Monumento a la mujer” inaugurated in 1996.

The San Roque chapel is accompanied by a traditional refrain related to its origins. Do you know it? “La capelleta de Sant Roc, lo qui no hi acudirá la peste li agarrará” (La capillita de San Roque, el que no vendrá la peste le cogerá). This simple rhyme, still sung today by the children of Cretas, takes us back to the origins of the consecration of this ancient town-wall gateway to the figure of San Roque.