Marmoris – Almeria Square

The Plaza de Almería has been transformed into the imposing monumental complex ‘Marmoris’, Latin for marble, which pays homage to the use of white marble in the municipality in Roman times. The square has reproductions in Macael marble of the front colonnade of a temple, a pool, the peristyle of a Roman house, an ornamental fountain, a replica of the mosaic of the planetarium of Italica in Seville and two sculptures, a ‘Chirivello’ for the pool and an imposing sculpture of Neptune for the fountain.

More than 400 tons of marble.

That is the amount of white marble from Macael used in the remodelling of the Plaza de Almería. The monumental complex ‘Marmoris’ is made up of different elements. The visitor is welcomed by a portico of imposing dimensions made up of 6 Corinthian style columns of almost 8 metres in height with their capitals. At this point is where you can read, in Latin, a legend that says “Plaza de Almería: honour, pride and heritage of our people”, and another one in which the people of Macael thank Cosentino for their involvement in the project for having donated all the marble that has been used in the square (more than 400 tons).

Then we find a Roman pool where a replica of the Bacchus found in Chirivel, known as the ‘Chirivello’, which is the oldest Roman piece found in the province of Almeria made of white marble from Macael, has been installed. The work has been made by the local sculptor Valentín Sabiote.

The next element is a simulation of a Roman courtyard with 12 Corinthian columns of 3 metres high surrounding a unique piece, an exact replica of the mosaic of the house of the Planetarium of Italica in Seville. This mosaic is made up of more than 220,000 pieces handmade in Macael.

And presiding over the square is a fountain made of solid white marble, 8 metres wide by 4 metres deep, which houses an imposing sculpture of Neptune by the local sculptor Francisco Alías. The sculpture is 2.30 metres high, weighs about 6,000 kg and is made in one piece. The square also has several marble benches made in the purest Roman style and marble litter bins designed along the same lines.