Water from the Convent

Needing more regular refills of water due to the heat at the moment, for a change I headed this morning to the spring at the 16th century "Convento de Caños Santos", about twenty minutes drive east of Olvera, seen here on the side of the hill.

The convent has no current religious purpose, with the exception of the chapel that is used for fiestas and special events, and was converted several years ago to become a spa/hotel complex but due to funding shortages was never opened.

Subsequently, the building has fallen into a state of disrepair and sadly since my last visit just over a year ago it appears that nature is also slowly starting to reclaim the garden area. 

The fresh water spring.

I just avoided treading on this large, beautiful maroon coloured beetle, next to a one euro coin for size comparison.

One thing that doesn't change however are the spectacular views, here looking north to the 1129 metre peak of the "Peñon El Terril", the highest point in the province of Seville.   

The view to Olvera, just visible left of picture.

After leaving the convent with four bottles of water, I couldn't resist going off on a previously unexplored dirt track that appeared to go in the direction of the pueblo of Alcalá del Valle.

Beautiful views as always before reaching Alcalá below.

Cool water and hot views

 Many people have asked me "What is that building high up on the hill?", pictured above and seen as you drive towards Olvera on the main A-384 road from Campillos. Well, the building is the 16th century convent of Caños Santos. Invariably, the next question is "How do we get to it?". 

Well, it's not that easy to find as it's not signposted from the road. A map here shows the route from Olvera. At point B on the map, make a turn off the A-384 to Alcalá del Valle. Continue along the road for about 6kms until you see a "crossroads" sign on your right hand side, 20 metres beyond which is a turn to the right, pictured above and point C on the map. This takes you along a dirt road through the olive groves. 

About 200 metres along the track, the road forks. Take the paved road to the right, signed to Caños Santos below.

Follow the road into the grounds of the convent.

Within the grounds are the entrances to two grotto's where legend has it that after the Moorish invasion of Spain in the 8th century, local inhabitants hid an image of their patron "Nuestra Señora de Caños Santos". After the defeat of the Moors, the Virgen was re-discovered in 1512 and a small chapel was built on the site followed shortly after by the convent which was inhabited by Franciscan monks.

I wasn't brave enough to venture too far without a torch but there were plenty of cobwebs on the ceiling.

 The views from the grounds are well worth the effort of finding the convent. Just stunning.

 Not forgetting to fill up our water bottles from the fresh water spring of course.

 The convent is no longer used for religious purposes, except for local fiestas, and is actually not open to the public after undergoing extensive renovation a few years ago. At what must have cost quite a few thousand euros or more, the intention was to turn the building into a hotel/spa complex but regrettably funding ran out.

 Sadly, due to lack of use and occupancy, the building is deteriorating and it looks like vandals have left their mark. However, despite this the convent is still worth a visit for its tranquility, location and fantastic views. Oh, and don't forget that torch for exploring those grotto's.

A pleasant and unexpected surprise

While Anne was busy with the house, I headed out this morning to the 16th century Convento de Caño Santos, that sits on a hillside about 20 minutes drive east of Olvera, on the road to the pueblo of Alcalá del Valle.

Apart from being in a beautiful location, I was interested to see whether any further restoration work had been undertaken since my last visit about eighteen months ago.
See here an article from 2007 that detailed the plans.

I did notice that the entrances to the grottos were now padlocked shut. On previous visits, they were open and accessible.

Candles and flowers at the entrance to one of the grottos.

The views from the grounds are stunning.

The building was closed to the public and as I was trying to look through the windows, a group of people arrived who introduced themselves and kindly invited me to join them on a tour of the inside.

Pictured here are Hans, Antonio, Miranda and Angela, all residents of nearby Alcalá.

Hans and Miranda have recently opened their restored cortijo "El Guarda", offering comfortable and relaxed accommodation in traditional Andalucian style near to Alcalá.
Antonio and Angela were friends who had obtained the keys to the building and were happy to also show me around.
What a rare and fantastic opportunity and one I was extremely grateful to accept.

Inside, there was clear evidence that extensive restorations had taken place to convert the convent into a hotel although Antonio explained that work had stopped a few years ago due to funding problems.

The central atreum was very impressive.

Many of the rooms were near completion and clearly a lot of money had been spent.
Sadly however, it was also clear that the years of neglect were taking its toll on the building with broken windows, peeling paint and some evidence of vandalism.

Antonio was the perfect guide and showed us every aspect of the building including the bell tower. Here, the entrance to the stairs leading to the tower.

It was a pleasure to meet Miranda and Hans, a very friendly couple, and I wish them every success in their new and exciting venture.

And also to Angela and Antonio of course for being very informative and pleasant hosts and for giving me the opportunity to look at yet another of the treasures that Andalucia has to offer.