SAINT SEBASTIAN HERMITAGE
'A small hermitage crowned by a belfry hidden in the labyrinthine urban center of Montemayor. Its holder protected Montemayor from plagues and other epidemics'.
It is a small hermitage, probably from the 16th Century, located within the urban area of Montemayor, at the end of San Sebastián street.
How is the building?
It is a very modest rectangular building, covered by a wooden roof in Mudejar style, as it is customary in Montemayor. The access to the building is through a semicircular door framed between pilasters. Its façade is made of brick and appears topped by a belfry with a bell.
Inside, we find a neo-Gothic altarpiece with the image of the owner of the church: Saint Sebastian. It is a one meter high carving, and it represents the time of his martyrdom. On one of the sides, a carving of the Crucified of Youth can be found.
According to popular belief…
Sebastian of Milan (Saint Sebastian) was a soldier of the Roman army. He was a Christian at a time when the Catholic religion was still persecuted. The emperor forced him to choose between his military status and his faith, Sebastian bet for the second option. He was martyred by being shot tied to a tree. His body, incorrupt, was buried in the catacomb of Saint Sebastian (Rome).
He is one of the most represented saints in Christian art. According to popular belief, Saint Sebastian miraculously protected the population, through which he mediated, freeing them from the deadly effects of plague epidemics. Its function was to prevent the entrance of epidemics, plagues and other infectious diseases to the population.
