In the city of Murcia, southeastern Spain

 Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz, a sculptor, was the most representative Spanish image-maker of the 18th century. He worked mainly on religious themes, making hundreds of pieces that are distributed throughout the Region of Murcia and some in bordering provinces. The Spanish Civil War (in the 1930s) caused the destruction of many of his works. Salzillo founded the so-called Murcian School of Sculpture, which has remained effective to the present time, because his followers have perpetuated the iconographic and stylistic models that he established. (A museum in Murcia is dedicated to Salzillo.)

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(in southeastern Spain) The city of Murcia, capital of Murcia province and autonomous community, is found at the confluence of the Segura and Guadalentín rivers in a fertile, irrigated area known as the huerta (orchard land). The site was settled before the Roman occupation of southern Spain in the 3rd century BCE. (As Mursīyah, it was first mentioned in the histories and chronicles of the Muslims.) According to the Arab geographer Yāqūt, it was founded in 825 CE by the Umayyad emir of Córdoba, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān II, who made it a provincial capital. After the fall of the caliphate of Córdoba in 1031, the city came under the control of Almería and then of Valencia, until 1063 when its ruler, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṭāhir, declared the kingdom of Murcia independent.

+ The capital of the province of the same name, Murcia is one of the least visited and little-known cities in Spain, despite being the seventh largest in terms of population size. Tucked in between the regions of Almería and Alicante, set inland from the coastal towns, Murcia has much to offer to those who do decide to visit the city. A sizeable but laid-back provincial capital, Murcia has interesting sights and a pleasant, strollable center. The city also has plenty of landmarks to linger over -- from Moorish gardens to the ornate architectural blend of Plaza Cardenal Belluga. (Mediterranean valleys, mountains, and coastlines beckon from further afield; while annual festivals bring a buzz to the entire region.)

+ Like Valencia, Murcia is famous for its huerta, a surrounding zone of market gardens dating back to Moorish times, which supply the city's restaurants with excellent fresh produce and drive a thriving tapas scene. The Segura River divides the city of Murcia into an older, northern sector and a more modern, southern sector. The 14th-century Gothic-style Cathedral of Santa María was restored in the 18th century. (It contains the fine 16th-century chapel of the Vélez family.) In the Hermitage of Jesus (Ermita de Jesús) are the majority of the Passion sculptures of Francisco Salzillo, which attract many visitors during Holy Week. (The University of Murcia was founded in 1915.) Murcia is also a communications and agricultural-trade center for the surrounding areas along the Segura River. (The city’s silk industry, which dates from Moorish times, still exists.)