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Although Santiago de la Ribera is a bustling and popular resdential tourism area, the town centre seen today is relatively young, having grown from a collection of simple fishermen's dwellings to a substantial community within the last 120 years. In 1988 it celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Click here to read more background information and the history of Santiago de la Ribera.
The Torre Mínguez farm estate is officially recognised as the origin of the outlying district of Santiago de la Ribera and was built by Antonio Lisón, a governor of the city of Murcia. It was then passed down through various generations of his family and eventually to Teresa Sandoval y Mena, who married José María Barnuevo y Rodrigo de Villamayor de Ulloa, a dignitary in the Order of Santiago.
The couple made frequent visits to Torre Mínguez and had ambitious plans for it. At one point they wanted to turn it into a hotel and later they intended to sub-divide the land and enable tenants to build family homes on each of the resulting plots. Out of these plans grew the new settlement of Santiago de la Ribera in 1888, the name being derived from José María Barnuevo’s affiliation to the Order of Santiago.
In 1905 the first church of Santiago Apóstol was built. The development of Santiago de la Ribera was now unstoppable and by the mid-20th century the existing chapel became too small to cope with the growing population.
The church was enlarged with the addition of a new chapel dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen, the 
protector of fishermen, and on 1st July 1968 the church became a parish within the diocese of Cartagena. Just three days later the paperwork was signed to begin construction of a new church and in 1969 Salvador Barnuevo ceded the land on which it was to be located.
On 7th May 1970, the new church was inaugurated.
The church remains a fundamental core of religious activity in Santiago de la Ribera, and is the departure point for both the Romería of San Blas in February, which connects with the Chapel of San Blas on the site location of the oldest place of worship in the municipality of San Javier, and the Romería of the Virgen del Carmen, linked to the chapel of El Carmen in the district of the same name.
Mass times in the parish church of Santiago de la Ribera:
Tuesday to Saturday 19.00, Sundays and religious holidays 12.00 and 19.00
Location
Parroquia Santiago Apóstol, Calle O'Shea 2, 30720 Santiago de la Ribera
The church is at the southern end of Calle O'Shea, on the corner with Calle de Zarandona.
Click for map, Calle O´Shea, Santiago de la Ribera.
Email: parroquiasantiagodelaribera@gmail.com
Telephone: 608 885654
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