Convent of the Purísima

The Church named the Convent of the Purísima is associated with a relevant event that look place in the area, the Miracle of the Purísima. Church legend has it that in the late 16^th century, on the 17^th of November 1585, an extraordinary occurrence took place: some pirate ships came ashore on the Mazarrón coast and intended to ransack the village but their plans were foiled by the intervention of the Virgin Mary. In the 17^th century, the Franciscan monks of St. Peter of Alcántara founded a hospital here and, later, a convent. One of its outstanding features is the chapel at the side of the church, believed to have been the original hermitage and which appearance in the 18^th century. The so-called Alcove of the Virgin Mary, who is the patron saint of Mazarrón, is notably decorated.