Caravaca de la Cruz

Caravaca de la Cruz in north-western Murcia, Spain is a city that never ceases to amaze. Walking through the old cobbled streets of the old town surrounded by fine examples of Murcia's renaissance architecture in the shadow of Sanctuary of the Santísima and Vera Cruz (true cross), which has been given the status of Historic-Artistic Heritage by the Spanish tourist board .

The area is famed for its’ natural beauty, attracting walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and lovers of the outdoors.

In the old and new town there are many good restaurants and bars serving local wines and cuisine as well as international dishes. The new town is also ideal for a shopping trip with many cosmopolitan shops and there is a large market held each Monday.

Caravaca de la Cruz is easy to get to from both Alicante and Murcia airport; it is linked to Murcia City and other areas of Spain by the c-415 motorway.

Caravaca de la Cruz is an ideal location for vacations or short breaks, ideal for lovers of history, rural tourism and religious pilgrimage or for those who just want to relax in a traditional Spanish setting.

History

Caravaca has been given the title holy city by the Vatican, a title shared with only four other cities in the world Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostella and Santo Toribio de Liébana. This is related to the famous legend of the Caravaca cross which the city is named after.

During the 12^th and13th centuries the city changed hands many times between Christian and Muslim rule. In 1232 when the city was under Moorish Muslim rule the Moorish chieftain Zeytb Abuzeyt held a priest, called Chirinos, captive. The chieftain ordered the priest to say mass as he was curious to see a Christian mass. As Chirinos started to prepare for the mass he realised one thing was missing, a cross, all crosses in the town had been destroyed by the Moors. The Priest told the chieftain it would be impossible to say mass without a cross. Zeyt became angry and accused the priest of lying, at this, according to legend; two angels appeared carrying a two armed cross. On seeing this Zeyt fell to his knees and converted to Christianity later he was baptised. Of course this is a legend; nobody knows for sure what really happened. One thing is certainly true there was a Chiftain called Zeyt, the priest Chirinos and the cross.

The Cross of Caravaca is so important it has become the symbol of the town and can be seen everywhere – in adverts, in the shops on the web page etc. However today’s cross is not the original. The original went missing around 1932 just before the Spanish civil war.  No one knows for certain who stole the cross but the theories are many, some say the Vatican stole it to keep it safe because of the impending civil war, others accused are local brotherhoods or local business men or even secret sects of the Knights Templar who used to guard the cross originally and built the sanctuary where the cross is kept today.

After the civil war the cross was not returned so the town asked for help from the Vatican. A copy of the cross was donated by the Pope and within the reliquary there are two pieces of the true cross that Christ was crucified on. When he was a cardinal the present Pope Benedict XVl visited Caravaca on the 1st December 2002 for the benefaction of the cross, this was as a substitute for the late Pope John Paul ll who was too ill at the time to make the journey. The city can now celebrate the perpetual year of jubilee every seven years the first year was 2003.

Fiestas and Attractions

Caravaca is home to some of the most spectacular fiestas in all of Spain surrounding the mysteries of the cross and Caravaca’s heritage. Every May there are marches, concerts and parades, but the racing of the wine horses as a part of the Blessing of the Wine ceremony is unique.  This has a medieval origin and powerful horses make a 10 second dash up to the Sanctuary of the Cross. This has become a great competition and the intricate embroideries that clothe the horses take a whole year to make. 

During the rest of the year visitors can visit The Museo de la Fiesta which has delightful displays of the colourful embroideries and costumes that are so important to the town's annual celebrations.  The museum is housed in the renovated 16th century Palacio de los Uribe.  There are also three other museums in the town and many elaborately decorated churches and monuments to visit.

There are municipal indoor and outdoor swimming pools and parks for families to enjoy.