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Playa de Regla

Located between Cruz del Mar – Las Canteras Beach and Camarón Beach , it is 1.700 metres long.

It has several life-saving points, as well as toilets for the disabled, Amphi-buggy chairs, information point, public-address system and six access ramps.

It has been awardedthe Blue Flag for 14 consecutive years. It is the most crowded and probably the most emblematic beach in Chipiona due to its proximity to the city area.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Regla

The origin of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Regla comes from a fortress of the Ponce de León family.

The monastery is thought to be an old castle because of the square-shaped tower with battlements.

In 1399, Pedro de León donated it to the hermit monks of San Agustín, who stayed there until 1835. Later on, in 1882, it was occupied by the Franciscans, the State then, authorized Padre Lerchundi to set up a missionary school to work in Morocco and The Holy Land. .

The sanctuary is currently occupied by a Franciscans community.

The prestige and extended devotion that the sanctuary enjoys is based on the age of the image of the Virgen de Regla which dates back to the first half of the year 300.

The first procession took place in 1588 and was organized by the Duchess of Medina Sidonia to pray for the success of the Armada, which was led by her husband.

It is worth mentioning the Mudéjar patio from the 16th century, the library, the museum and the image of the Virgin, the patron saint of the town.

The Shrine

This building is annexed to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Regla and dates back to 1663. It was originally a 17th century chapel, where according to tradition, the sculpture of the Virgen de Regla appeared.

The Castle

The Castle stands on a rock on the ravine where the waves break all day long. It possesses a square base and tower, two storeys covered with vaulted ceiling arris vaults and pointed arched windows. According to the Diputación Provincial de Cádiz ( Government of the Province of Cádiz) the castle dates back to the Arab period, according to historical documents, Chipiona was conquered by Fernando III “The Saint” in 1251, and reconquered in 1261 by his son Alfonso X “The Wise”.

It was restored in 1527 and up to 1651 it was full of soldiers to defend and watch the castle due to the constant plundering/sacking by pirates, Moorish, berebers and Turkish, even the famous pirate Redbeard is said to have been here. In the 19th century it was used as a Guardia Civil headquarter. The earliest reference of being used as a hotel is from 1887, Royal Hotel. For many years, the castle was a fortress and watchtower for the defence of its inhabitants, creating the first population nucleus near it until it finally became a hotel from 1890 to 1989, closing down due to disagreements between the partners, leaving it then abandoned and in ruins until 26 December 2000, when the City council of Chipiona acquired it.

Parish Nuestra Señora de la O

The parish of Nuestra Señora de la O is a 16th century church, although in the18th , it was almost totally rebuilt.

It has got a Renaissance front, with sculptures of gothic remains and one the lateral façade shows a flowery gothic arch.

In the interior, the naves have some pictures from the 16th and 17th centuries, some of them by Andrés Pérez.

At the main altarpiece, the image of the Virgen de La O is worshipped, and among other objects, worth mentioning is a silver communion chalice donated by Felipe V.

Carnivals

Carnaval in Chipiona takes place between February and March, it is par excellence “the people´s party”.

Our carnival has always been extremely important in town, and although it officially lasts 10 days, it starts a month before with a variety of activities in the town´s carnival associations (“peñas carnavaleras”) offering everyone, typical products of the area free of charge. The closing of the party is known as “La Cabalgata del Humor” (the humorous procession) on Sunday, both nationally and internationally well-known and where everybody takes part in a real display of humour, light and colour.