Sanctuary of Pla de Petracos
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The Sanctuary of Pla de Petracos, located in the municipality of Castell de Castells, is one of the most outstanding examples of Macro-schematic Art in Europe and has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and a World Heritage Site. The importance of the site led the Provincial Council of Alicante to enhance its value by improving its dissemination and protection elements and the accesses to the site, works which were inaugurated on 3rd March 1998.
The provincial institution of Alicante, through the Provincial Archaeological Museum (MARQ), is promoting a programme of Cave Art Routes which, under the auspices of the Autonomous Administration and with the collaboration of the municipality of Castell de Castells, aims to improve the protection of artistic manifestations, while at the same time promoting their knowledge, facilitating access and installing explanatory panels.
The Pla de Petracos site takes its name from the district where it is located. It is a group of shelters and a cave located on the left bank of the Barranc de Malafí, within a geographical framework that is delimited by the sea and the Aitana, Mariola and Benicadell mountain ranges. Access is via a track that starts at km 7 of the road from Benichembla to Castells de Castells, which connects the area where the site is located with the municipality of La Vall d'Ebo. The site is located at the geographical coordinates of 38º 45' 37" lat. N. and 0º 10' 59" long. W. Located at 485 m above sea level.
Discovered in 1980, it is made up of eight shelters, five of which have perfectly visible motifs painted in an intense red. Of these, four, which are close to each other, conserve representations ascribed to the so-called Macro-schematic Art, a manifestation linked to the earliest Neolithic, and another conserves part of a representation of Levantine Art, a manifestation chronologically later than those of Macro-schematic Art.
The representation of the human figure is the central theme, with the praying people standing out, with their arms stretched upwards. In front of it, a few metres from the rock face, a large stone protrudes from the ground, which could be related to the meaning of the pictorial representations.
Alongside these figures, which sometimes form groups or pairs, there is an abundance of geometric motifs, particularly serpentiform or meandering motifs formed by thick sinuous bands of vertical development.
The Pla de Petracos is one of the best rock art sites in the Valencian Community. In the times when the paintings were made, it was a sanctuary: a meeting place and place of worship for people united by deep beliefs, in which fertility and fecundity, the agricultural cycle and family ties took on special importance.
This sanctuary of Macro-schematic Art, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and World Heritage Site, is located in a splendid setting. A visit is a magnificent opportunity to enjoy nature in a privileged setting...
Nowadays, the sanctuary of Pla de Petracos is a regular place to visit and one of the most important tourist centres in this mountainous environment in the interior of the province of Alicante, which has generated great wealth for the municipalities in the area, such as Castell de Castells. The enhancement of the site makes it possible to enjoy, learn and understand Macro-schematic Art with a cultural facility of exceptional importance.
