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Caravaca de la Cruz is a town located on the border of
Murcia and Granada. The Iberians, Romans and Muslims all passed
through this town, which has developed around its Castle, built in
the 15th century and commissioned by the Knights Templar. However,
Caravaca is essentially the holy town, the town of the cross that
carries its name. According to legend, in 1232 the Moorish King Abu
Zeid was converted to Christianity when he saw how two angles
brought a cross down from heaven to a priest held prisoner in the
castle in order for him to give mass. This legend led to the
construction, as from 1617 and on the site of the fortress itself,
of the main monument of this town in the north-east of Murcia, the
Chapel of La Vera Cruz. The most important feature of this building
is its luxurious façade, made from red marble excavated in Cehegín
and which offers a complete exaltation to the Holy Cross.
Caravaca de la Cruz, Holy Town. In 1998 the Pope awarded
Caravaca de la Cruz the Jubilee Year, making this town the fifth in
the world, together with four other cities (Santiago de Compostela,
Santo Toribio de Liébana, Roma and Jerusalem), to be allowed to
celebrate the Perpetual Jubilee. This means that the Holy See allows
the town to celebrate the Holy Year every seven years in
perpetuum at the Chapel of La Vera Cruz, the next Jubilee Year
at Caravaca de la Cruz being the year 2010. However this Chapel,
which also has an interesting Holy Art and History Museum, is not
the only religious monument in Caravaca. There are interesting 16th
century churches, such as: La Soledad, today converted into an
Archaeological Museum; El Salvador, considered to be the most
representative work of the Murcian Renaissance; La Purísima; and the
Convent of the Carmelites. In terms of civil government, it is worth
highlighting the Town Hall building, which dates from the 18th
century.
Despite its small size, another very important monument in
Caravaca is the Temple of the Holy Cross, where the relic is bathed
each year on 3 May during the celebration of the popular Festivities
of The Holy Cross. Another popular "fiesta" is los Caballos del Vino
(Wine horses), in commemoration of a tradition that took place in
the 13th century. On that date, the Christian besieged in the
fortress by the Arabs managed to break the siege and search for
water. When they failed to find any water, they returned to the
fortress with the wineskins on their horses filled with wine. The
commemoration consists in decoratively harnessed horses galloping up
the steep slopes to the Castle. Together with the Moor and Christian
processions, these are the main events in the festive calendar of
Caravaca. The Uribe Palace (16th century) holds the Festivals Museum
where you will be able to live them in first person.
Caravaca is also in a privileged position in terms of rural
tourism, with a wide range of activities from hill walking to horse
riding, giving the visitor the opportunity to come into closer
contact with nature.
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