Sanctuary of Mercy

15th – 18th Centuries

It stands on the highest point of the town, known as El Puig. This is the main center of devotion and popular pilgrimage in Vinaròs since at least the 15th century, dedicated to the town’s patron saints, Our Lady of Mercy and Saint Sebastian. In 1637, during the Reapers’ War, the hermitage was fortified, as Vinaròs was then a frontier territory. Within the complex are the church, the hermit’s house, the guesthouse, and the stables. Although the church underwent renovations during the 16th and 17th centuries, its current appearance dates from the 18th century reforms. Inside, there is a retable dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot, funded by the farmers’ guild, and another one dedicated to Saint Sebastian, financed by the sailors’ guild. The frescoes decorating the nave were painted in the early 19th century by Joaquim Oliet Cruella.