The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Salobreña will remain temporarily closed for worship following the discovery of structural problem in the roof of the central nave.

A very wet winter is behind the deterioration of the roof structure, causing cracks in several areas of the interior vaulting.

The Bishopric of Granada confirmed that the damage is being studied and once that is done, news on how they are going to tackle it will be announced. For that reason, It is not yet known when the work will commence.

In the meantime, all religious activity has moved to the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista in the lower part of town. This change will obviously affect the timetable for Semana Santa.

Most Easter processions normally set off from this church, but as the Chairman of the Agrupación de Cofradías, Antonio Espín, explained, that most will now start from the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, with the exception of the Jueves-Santo procession, which will set out from next to the main church because where they store the procession image and equipment is virtually next door.

Obviously, this closure will impact other religious events such as communions and weddings, as well as Corpus Christi and the festivities in honour of the Virgen del Rosario.

The church used to be a Muslim mosque and its architecture, (converted in the 16th Century) is a Mudejar-style structure. The roof, which was originally a coffered ceiling, was destroyed by a fire in the summer of 1821 and reconstruction took 15 years. As for the church square, it served as a Christian cemetery until 1789.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Church Closed for Repairs, Virgen del Rosario, Mudejar, Fire, cemetery, Semana Santa, Bishopric of Granada

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