Caravaca de la Cruz

AH OF THE CASTLE!


In a mountainous area in the northwest of the Autonomous Community of Murcia is Caravaca de la Cruz, an important municipality that owes its importance to the fact that it is an important place of reference within the Catholic cult, its culture, its popular festivals, its medieval layout and its imposing walled enclosure. The city is guarded by a fortress whose visit brings unforgettable sensations and takes us directly to the time of the Templars.


The Castle of Caravaca de la Cruz rises to an altitude of 675 meters on a hill that dominates the city. The views offered from any point of its perimeter are spectacular, and if we add to that the respectful silence that overwhelms the entire area, only broken by the whisper of the wind, the sensation is already impressive, and even, on occasion, shocking. This fortress awaits us, proud and serene, so that we can visit all its corners.


As soon as we cross the access door of the wall that surrounds the fortress, we perceive that there are many elements to go through inside the walled enclosure. Undoubtedly, one of the most important points included in the complex is the Sanctuary of Vera Cruz, to which we will dedicate an exclusive point later due to its importance.


Let´s learn a little about the history of this monument... The origins of the fortress date back to the Islamic era. During the XII and XIII centuries, the Muslims centralized control of the entire surrounding area and the defense of the town on this hill, and for this reason, they built a fortress on it. After the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Murcia in the second half of the XIII century, the Arab fortress passed into the hands of the Knights Templar, to be linked from the mid-XIV century to the Order of Santiago.


Over the centuries, its buildings have undergone a series of transformations to achieve its current appearance. At the end of the XV century, the walls housed inside a construction with a polygonal plan, with towers, a moat and a rampart, which was the main stately building, which was destroyed in the XVII century to build the Basilica de la Santa Cruz and the attached Casa del Chaplain.


Despite the passage of time and its conversion into a sacred point, the Castle of Caravaca de la Cruz still shows off its defensive and military character, still conserving its “parade ground” or esplanade and its cisterns. The fortress is surrounded by elliptical walls with a projection called "canapé". In this walled perimeter, fourteen towers of different sizes and shapes stand out, some with a square floor plan and others with a circular one.


Looking out over these walls, an infinite view stretches out under our gaze. The city of Caravaca, orchards of the Vega del Río Argos, pine and oak forests prostrate themselves at the foot of the fortress, grateful for its stoic defense over the centuries.


Castillo de Caravaca de la Cruz
Cuesta del Castillo 31
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

BITES OF HAPPINESS


Within the gastronomy of Caravaca, some exquisite orange delicacies called Yemas de Caravaca stand out. This delicious sweet is sold in any sweet shop and in all the shops of typical products of the municipality. The Yemas de Caravaca are deeply rooted in the history and the life of the city, but despite this, their exact origin is unknown and several theories are being considered. This makes this product, in addition to an ambrosia, a mystery...


The yolks are a sweet made from sugar and egg yolks. It is a very typical product in several towns in Spain, such as Avila or Seville, presenting a different particularity in each place. In the case of caravaqueñas, their differential note lies in the absence of spices or fruit in their preparation and in a layer of caramel that covers them and makes them unique.


Returning to its origin, there are several conjectures that explain this sweet tradition in Caravaca, which suggests that the truth lies in a kind of mixture of all of them. Without a completely certain theory, but all with some truth… The first hypothesis relates this recipe to the Moorish culture, especially considering the great presence of this group in Caravaca. In fact, at the beginning of the XVII century, one in four inhabitants of this city was of Moorish origin.


It is also believed that due to the strong religious tradition of the city, the Yemas de Caravaca recipe could have been forged in the kitchens of one of its convents. Or perhaps it was born in the confectionery workshops since the pastry chefs had to do something with so much leftover yolk... What is known for sure is that in this wine region, egg whites were used to clarify the wine. When a harvest was cloudy, egg whites were added to the wine to separate the impurities and thus increase its brightness and improve its aspect.




Regardless of the source of the recipe, whether Moorish, monastic or confectioner´s, Yemas de Caravaca began to be made in Caravaca workshops from the XVII century, being almost exclusively consumed by the inhabitants of the city for a long time. Over time, the fame of Yemas de Caravaca grew after being tasted by visitors who came to the town, and also because it became a very popular gift within the exclusive society of Caravaca. Giving a friend or family member a box of Yemas de Caravaca was a guarantee of success!


In the mid-XX century, their unique caramel topping had a tough competitor that fixed the sticky problem of syrup…chocolate! And so, the Yemas de Chocolate arose, with the same recipe as the originals but with a final layer of chocolate that makes them even more glorious...


Do not forget to try the exquisite Yemas de Caravaca when you visit this city!

THE BEAUTIFUL PATRIARCHAL CROSS


If there is something omnipresent in Caravaca de la Cruz, it is precisely the Cruz de Caravaca. We will come across this religious symbol in many corners of the city. We will even find it in small figures, in pendants, in bracelets and in other objects in shops selling Caravaca products, where we can buy the cross as a souvenir or as a gift.


The Cross of Caravaca is a highly revered relic within the Catholic cult as it is a lignum crucis, that is, a piece of the true wood on which Jesus Christ was crucified. There are many legends that explain the presence of this relic in Caravaca, but the most accepted one goes as so…


In the year 1231, the Taifa of Murcia remained in Muslim power. An Arab governor named Zayd Abu Zayd, conquered the city of Caravaca and captured many Christians as prisoners. After that, an interrogation began to learn the trades of these prisoners and thus appoint jobs according to their abilities. Among them was a Christian priest named Don Gines, and the Arab governor wanted to know how he celebrated a Christian ceremony. So, he asked the priest to give a mass in his presence, and hearing this request, Don Gines prayed to God to enter into the heart of Zayd Abu Zayd.


During the liturgy with the Arab governor present, Don Gines realized that he had no cross on the altar and stopped the mass. It was then that two angels entered through the window carrying a cross that they placed on the altar. Governor Zayd Abu Zayd was so impressed by this miracle that he soon converted to Christianity. The event, which occurred in the year 1232, took place on May 3, the very date that commemorates the Day of the Holy Cross.


The cross left by the angels was made of wood and had a double horizontal arm, a form known as a patriarchal cross. According to tradition, it was the same cross that belonged to Robert of Jerusalem, the first patriarch who had the holy city after the Christian conquest of the Muslims in the First Great Crusade in the year 1099. This cross was made with the wood of the true cross of Jesus Christ, hence its name, Vera Cruz (True Cross).


Since then, the Vera Cruz has been kept in Caravaca as a relic guarded inside a reliquary, also in the shape of a patriarchal cross, whose measurements are of "divine proportion": two horizontal crossbars of 7 and 10 cm and the vertical beam of 17 cm.


Today, the cross is still very present in the life of the city. It´s even part of its name! It is highly revered and the people of Caravaca consider it, in addition to being a religious and sacred symbol, a good gift to give to their loved ones. The Cross of Caravaca is also considered as an object charged with good energy and that protects whoever wears it by frightening away evil. It is even customary to give it to a loved one as a declaration of love!

A GREAT BAROQUE FACADE


Since its appearance on May 3, 1232, the Vera Cruz was defended and guarded within the walled enclosure, first by the Knights Templar and then by the Order of Santiago, which remained in place until the abolition of all religious orders in the area in the year 1868.


The news of a lignum crucis, after the miracle, had appeared in this place spread like wildfire among the people of the Middle Ages and Caravaca became a place of Christian pilgrimage. Since the XIII century, there were many pilgrims who came to Caravaca to venerate the Vera Cruz. After the appearance of the lignum crucis in Caravaca, the church officially recognized its veracity and since then, almost all the pontiffs have been granting bulls with privileges to the Cross of Caravaca, which has increased pilgrimages.


After the Christian conquest of Caravaca, the Templars built a small temple inside the walled enclosure that received the name of Ermita de Santa María la Real. It was a simple building made of mortar and wood. With the passage of time and due to the large number of pilgrims who visited the sanctuary, it was decided to build a larger temple so that everyone could venerate the relic of the True Cross.


So, in the year 1617, the works of the basilica that we know today began. The main stately building was demolished and a new temple was built in the same place to guard the relic. The works of the church lasted almost a century, but it was necessary to wait until almost the end of the XVIII century for its most famous part to be built. This basilica has an impressive baroque facade that is surprising, even somewhat shocking!


The famous cover is made with black and red marble from the region, in which jasper predominates. In keeping with its baroque style, its intense decoration includes floral ornaments, a royal coat of arms and various shells of the Order of Santiago. The portal also contains sumptuous columns topped by cornices and supported by its famous stipes. Presiding over the façade and under seven pinnacles, there is a niche with a carving of the Vera Cruz. It is truly spectacular!


The contrast produced by this ostentatious marble portal superimposed on the most sober of the stalls is impressive. The façade of the basilica makes up the perfect setting to pose for a photograph that will serve as a testimony of having visited the holy city.


Thanks to its relic and the pilgrimage, Caravaca de la Cruz is one of the holy cities of Christianity throughout the world. But in addition to this, Caravaca has a very special privilege granted in 1998 by Pope John Paul II for which the city celebrates a Jubilee Year every seven years. Every pilgrim who visits the sanctuary during a Jubilee Year will obtain plenary pardon!


The visit to this sanctuary deserves to be immortalized well in a good photo with the lavish Baroque façade in the background!


Real Basílica-Santuario de la Vera Cruz
Cuesta del Castillo 9
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

PURE MYSTIC POWER




In Caravaca de la Cruz there is a strong phenomenon that can even be felt walking through the city. It is not known if it flows from the earth or if it is in the air, but the truth is that in this city a strong religious sentiment is perceived. This strength does not only come from Vera Cruz, nor from the fact of being a holy city. It goes beyond… It is like one of those places that the ancient pagan man chose to perform his rites, in one of those special places full of mystery and special energy. This is Caravaca de la Cruz, pure mysticism.


Throughout history, different religious personalities have been attracted by the mystical power that emanates from this city, and this has been reflected in the many convents and churches in Caravaca.


One of these personalities was Santa Teresa de Jesús, who in 1576, founded the Convent of the Barefoot Carmelite Mothers in Caravaca. This foundation was the twelfth of the seventeen founded by Teresa of Avila throughout her life. Due to health problems, the saint was never personally at the foundation and managed the entire process from a distance. But this city was so important in the life of the saint that she always carried a Caravaca Cross with her. In fact, the relic was found between the sheets on her deathbed...


An important mystic who was in Caravaca on numerous occasions was San Juan de la Cruz, who also founded a Carmelite convent but in a "male version". This saint was linked by a very strong friendship with Teresa of Jesus, so much so that she called him, in confidence, "her half-friar" joking about the short stature of Juan de la Cruz.


It turned out that once the female Carmelite convent was founded in Caravaca, its nuns felt unprotected against the strong Jesuit and Franciscan power in the city, so they asked their Order to open a Carmelite, but a male version, in Caravaca. The founder of the Order entrusted her friend Juan with this mission, and so it was that in 1587, San Juan de la Cruz founded the Convent of Discalced Carmelite Fathers in Caravaca.


This convent of Discalced Carmelite Fathers currently houses the Hospedería Nuestra Señora del Carmen, run by a small group of friars who do everything possible so that their guests enjoy their stay in a pure atmosphere of peace and tranquility. And in front of the inn, there is a bronze sculpture of San Juan de la Cruz in a walking pose...


Due to the numerous occasions that Juan de la Cruz came to Caravaca from Beas de Segura, the "Camino de San Juan de la Cruz" has been created at the initiative of the current Carmelite friars. It is an itinerary to cover on foot the 150 kilometers that the saint traveled so many times through the Sierra de Segura to reach Caravaca to found his convent.


Convent of Carmelite Mothers and Church of San Jose
Calle Mayor 35
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia


Hospedería Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Convent of Carmelite Fathers)
Calle Corredera 7
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

FEEL THE TEMPLAR POWER IN OUR VEINS


We continue with the Caravaca festivities! In addition to the Bath of the Cross, there is another event in the city´s patron saint festivities that is so spectacular, so grandiose and so vibrant that its fame has crossed borders. It is the Horses of Wine, a Caravaca celebration that, due to its beauty and passion, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2020.


The festivities of the Santísima Vera Cruz de Caravaca are celebrated at the beginning of May, with the Caballos del Vino occupying the first two days of festivities. It is a series of three competitions organized by popular associations called horse clubs, in which they exhibit the qualities and beauty of their horses. On May 1, the first two contests related to equines take place. In the "Bareback Horses" the horses compete in beauty and in the "Enjaezamiento" the beautiful hand-embroidered cloaks in gold and silk that the horses will wear during the festivities are exhibited.
But the most important contest is held on May 2. It is the most famous and the most crowded. Thousands and thousands of people come to Caravaca that day to witness this spectacle that makes each stone vibrate. It is the famous "Wine Horse Race", which consists of making, quickly and energetically, the last stretch that leads to the castle. In this competition, four boys from a rock run the 80 meters of the course, uphill, holding on to a galloping horse. The rock that covers this distance in the shortest possible time wins, and without any of the boys falling!


The show is brutal, as it is pure power. Man and horse racing together against time. Strength, power, sweat and dust mixed with the finesse of the cloaks worn by the horses. Therein lies the beauty of the show, in this force resulting from the union of man and horse but wrapped in the delicacy of gold and silk cloaks. The mix is explosive!


A legend tells that the origin of this race lies in the XIII century. While the Knights Templar were besieged by the Muslims in the castle of Caravaca, the water stored in the cisterns rotted, so a group of knights ventured out of the castle to fetch water. After verifying that the Muslims had poisoned the springs, they took several skins of wine that they loaded on the horses. To return to the castle, they successfully broke through the enemy lines by running and clinging to the horses. Once there, the wine was blessed with the Vera Cruz and was thrown into the cisterns, purifying its waters.


And now comes your challenge… do you dare to climb the castle on foot? Performing those 80 meters walking purifies the blood and in doing so, you will be infused by the power of the young men and the horses that always remains floating in that stretch to fill the brave person who does it on foot with strength.


Castillo de Caravaca de la Cruz
Cuesta del Castillo 31
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

HABEMUS NEW LIGNUM CRUCIS!


In Caravaca de la Cruz, important patron saint festivities are celebrated annually, full of activities that honor the Vera Cruz. Among all the events organized during these festivities, there is one that stands out especially and that takes place every May 3, the day of the Feast of the Holy Cross. It is the celebration of a very important rite, whose tradition dates back to the XIV century and is known as the "Bath of the Cross of Caravaca".


The rite consists of bathing the Vera Cruz waters that, after this bath, are blessed which will irrigate the orchards of Caravaca. This ceremony takes place in the Templete, one of the most emblematic monuments of Caravaca, also popularly known as the Bañadero.


El Templete is a baroque monument from the end of the XVIII century, whose ground plan is based on a circumference around whose diameter runs the water from the Fuentes del Marqués and which flows out towards the orchards. Its hexagonal body is made up of thick pillars that support a dome covered with Arab tiles crowned by an elegant skylight.


To find out the origin of this tradition, we go back to 1384, the year in which there was a plague of locusts in the region and to quell it, the city of Caravaca was asked to donate water blessed by its cross. This act was repeated every year until it became part of the history of the city and its festivals. Nowadays, thanks to the power of tradition and its great symbolic content, the Bath of the Cross is the central act of the festivities and is celebrated surrounded by festive parades.


The place chosen to bless the waters was the point of convergence of the ditches that went out to the orchards. In that place, the Caravaqueños celebrated the Bath of the Cross for three centuries outdoors. When it became clear that the tradition was more than entrenched, in the XVII century, the Chapel of the Bath was built on the site, which was a simple shrine with a cross and a simple wooden roof, but it soon fell into disrepair. The city council decided to build a quality building on the site that would dignify the event. And so, the elegant Templete rose, completed in 1801.


But Caravaca and its Templete kept silent for 8 years in which the Bath of the Cross could not be celebrated. In February 1934, an unfortunate political-religious robbery occurred in which the original relic and its reliquary were stolen. A deep sadness seized the city for 8 long and sad years... Until the solution came from the Vatican! Pope Pius XII donated to Caravaca two certified fragments of the wood of Christ that arrived in the city on April 30, 1942, just in time to be able to store them in a reliquary, a replica of the stolen one, and thus be able to resume from that very same May, Bath of the Cross.


El Templete
Plaza del Templete 3
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

THE MEDIEVAL NEIGHBORHOOD, SEED OF CARAVACA


From the XII century onwards, at the foot of the castle of Caravaca de la Cruz, a neighborhood with narrow streets and a twisted layout began to emerge, waiting for us to discover all the surprises that “intramuros” holds. It is the Medieval Quarter of Caravaca, born in the space that remained within a wall, now gone, that protected the people of Caravaca from possible Saracen attacks. This neighborhood was the origin of the city of Caravaca, which grew within the wall and under the protection of its castle.


To start our walk through the Medieval Quarter, we have to go to the opposite side of the town hall in the Plaza del Arco. And right there the surprises begin… Right in the space where Plaza del Arco converges with Calle Mayor and Cuesta del Castillo, is one of the corners of the Parroquia del Salvador. This point where these important streets converge is popularly called "Corner of Death". It is a very emblematic place in Caravaca and the most accepted explanation of its traditional name is the most chivalrous... This corner was where the knights met to duel after an offense. This point, located outside the wall but just at what was the exit of the town, was the perfect place to resolve questions of honor. Ah, the good ´ol times!
It was right here, right at the start of the Cuesta del Castillo, the Puerta de Santa Ana, which was the access to the interior of the walls, that is, to the town is located. Despite the fact that there is no longer any door, this place is still popularly called that. Indeed, in the Puerta de Santa Ana there is no longer a door or a wall, although there is a plaque remembering its demolition, which took place in 1801, in order to improve access to the neighborhood and improve traffic in the area.


On the other hand, the wall was not demolished on a specific date. It simply gradually disappeared over time. Many neighbors used the wall to build their houses attached to its wall, so it was hidden between houses and for this reason, there are hardly any vestiges in sight today.


Once we have “crossed” the Puerta de Santa Ana, we enter the Medieval Quarter, the seed of Caravaca, a city whose name comes from a primitive rural community located in the area called Al-Quarabaka. Going through the irregular structure of the Medieval Quarter is quite an experience… Criss-cross streets, dead ends and unexpected small squares form a curvy route full of thousands of details on facades, balconies, bars, doors, windows, lampposts…


Getting lost in this small medieval labyrinth is like traveling back in time. And to delve into Caravaca´s past, there is nothing better than visiting its Archaeological Museum, located in what was the first parish church in Caravaca, the Iglesia de la Soledad. Two trips in one neighborhood!


Puerta de Santa Ana / Esquina de la Muerte
Cuesta del Castillo 1
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia


Municipal Archaeological Museum of Soledad
Cuesta del Castillo s/n
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia

THE SQUARE OF A THOUSAND NAMES


In the historic center of Caravaca de la Cruz there is a beautiful square that is the true heart of the city. The most important Caravaca events take place here, as it always has a great atmosphere and also has several terraces that invite us to take a seat and enjoy its beauty and atmosphere. We are talking about the Plaza del Arco, the vital nucleus of Caravaca.


Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, this square is adjacent to the oldest area of Caravaca and is the epicenter of urban administrative and commercial activity. It is an extensive square, elongated and rectangular in shape, and its two most separated ends are occupied by two important buildings. The square is presided over by the Town Hall of Caravaca, and on its opposite side is the Parroquia de El Salvador. Both constructions are the oldest in the square, since the rest of the buildings that make it up were constructed later.


In the XVIII century, the municipality of Caravaca had the need to expand its town hall, so it built a new town hall in an urban area that had not yet been built. This allowed a new square to be created around the new town hall, which turned out to be the protagonist of this place. In other words, the Plaza del Arco was born as a result of the construction of the new town hall. This fact has a historical explanation, and since the XVIII century is in the middle of the Baroque era, a period in which urban development was based on the creation of many squares almost always dominated by an administrative building, which served as a continuous reminder that authority was centralized, thus emphasizing the power of the absolutist monarchies of the time.


But the Plaza del Arco not only owes its birth to the new town hall, but also owes its name to it, since the town hall has an arch that crosses its base in the form of a barrel vault. After crossing this light tunnel drilled in the town hall, you access the Plaza del Arco.


But this esplanade has not always been called that. In fact, despite the few centuries of history behind it, it has received different names during its short life that were given according to the relevant events that were happening in the country. First it was the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, then in 1812, it became the Plaza de la Constitución and years later, its name was changed to Plaza de Isabel II. Already in the XX century, its new name was Plaza de Jose Antonio, and now, its current name, Plaza del Arco. The most curious thing is that, despite so many name changes, today all the locals continue to call it by its initial name, Plaza del Ayuntamiento!


Enjoying the atmosphere of the beautiful Plaza del Arco illuminated by its wrought iron modernist lamps, while admiring the central Monument to the Moors and Christians, is a real pleasure from Caravaca.


Plaza del Arco
30400 - Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia