There are some who believe that the Costa del Sol is a modern-day tourist destination with little history, but naturally, a place as beautiful as this has been long since discovered and visited by seafarers and conquerors since the earliest of times.
Proof of this is the discovery of Phoenician, Roman and Moorish archaeological sites in the area, but in the case of San Pedro, perhaps the most famous of all of these historic sites is the Paleo-Christian Basilica of Vega del Mar.
Some of you may not be familiar with this small beachside residential area by name, but if you follow the road through El Ingenio to the sea or take the avenue to San Pedro’s beachfront promenade, you will have found its eastern and western limits.
Vega del Mar is a very pleasant, leafy suburb of mostly older villas, but set in their midst, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, is an early Christian church that ranks among the oldest in all of Andalucía – dating to the late Roman period, before the Moorish invasion of AD 711.
The ruins and outline of the basilica are still intact, offering a rare insight into the shape and layout of churches from the early Christian period, more than 1,500 years ago. It was built by Visigoths, the Germanic warrior clan who ruled Spain after the fall of Rome and before the Moors invaded.
Basílica Paleocristiana Vega del Mar:
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – (free of charge – only in Spanish).
For further information: Tel. 952 768 767