The Citadel at Caravaca de la CruzIn the early part of January our good friends Linda and Peter were in Spain for a holiday and we thought it might be nice to go out together for a trip into the hinterland and visit a couple of places which they hadn’t seen before.
Caravaca and Calasparra are situated in the mountainous region of north west Murcia.
We chose Caravaca de la Cruz as our first stop.
This town was declared in 1998 as one of the Holy Cities of the world by Pope John Paul II, making it the fifth holy city of the Roman Catholic world along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Campostela, and Santo Toribio de Liébana. The latter is not actually a city but a monastery in Northern Spain where the largest piece of the true cross is kept.
The High Altar in the Citadel ChurchThe legend of Caravaca goes back to the times when the city was occupied by the Moors in 1232.
The Moorish chief ordered the local priest to perform Mass so that he could see for himself what this entailed, but the Priest refused. All the crosses within the Kingdom had been destroyed by the invading Arabs and without a cross, true mass could not be performed. Angry, Abu-Ceyt ordered him to proceed, but the Priest refused again; without a cross he was powerless to fulfil his office. No sooner had he spoken these words than the chamber was flooded with a brilliant light and two angels appeared, bearing a 2-armed cross, the Vera Cruz of Caravaca, containing the lignum crucis, wood from the true cross of Jesus Christ.
The main entrance to the Citadel ChurchOther stories exist about how this famous cross came to Caravaca, but it was eventually stolen in 1934 resulting in the murder of the parish priest. The cross was replaced with a new one of identical design by Pope Pius XII in 1942. This is kept in a special vault in the magnificent church within the Citadel and is brought out during mass on special occasions. There are certain hours of each day when the vault is opened for people to be able to view the cross.
Today's CrossOn this day the Wine Horses recreate the legend in which the Knights Templar braved the Moorish armies besieging the castle to bring wine up the hill to the thirsty inhabitants, barricaded within.
The legend dates back to the days of the Knights Templar, who answered the cries of the townspeople, besieged by Moorish armies. The invaders had contaminated the water supply and those inside the protection of the castle walls were dying of thirst. Desperately seeking water, they were only able to locate wine, which was tied to the backs of the horses and the brave Knights ran up the hill before the Moorish armies realised what was happening, bringing the precious liquid inside. The Vera Cruz was bathed in the wine, blessing it before consumption, and miraculously the sick and wounded were healed, the weak restored and the battle could continue against the moors.
During the morning of the festival, the horses parade, showing off their exquisitely worked mantels, before travelling up to the sanctuary to compete in the Race of the Wine Horses . 60 horses are dressed in spectacular embroidered mantels, the fruit of a years work by dedicated pena members, and run up the hill with their four penas to the sanctuary one by one, in a race against the clock. It can be incredibly dangerous on wet days, as the hooves skid and horses crash into the watching crowds, thousands of people packing the run up to the castle as the crowds part, allowing passage to the thundering hooves of the animals and their runners, magnificent mantels glinting in the sunlight and the crowds screaming their support. Prizes are awarded for both the fastest horses and those with the most exceptional embroidery, and it really is an incredible honour to win either competition.
The highly decorated horses during the race
Bronze monument ably assisted by Peter
Nowadays the struggle between the Moors and Christians is celebrated in festivals throughout the area and in monuments erected in town squares.The route up to the Citadel takes you through the very narrow medieval streets of Caravaca and one has to know the roads, have a guide, or just get lucky. We made two unsuccessful attempts in the old town but ended up back where we started both times. We eventually parked at the bottom and made the very steep climb on foot.
We were glad we did as we got to see the interesting dwellings nestling in the sides of the hill and visited both the town square and plenty of shops along the way. This we would have missed if we had driven up to the Citadel.
Something we met on the wayThe day was beautiful with a clear blue sky and temperatures in the high teens. This enabled us to have morning coffee in the square outside the church in the Citadel and to take some lovely photographs during our visit.
Calasparra
A half-hour’s drive from Caravaca is the town of Calasparra on the River Segura.
This is a tiny town with a population of on 10,000 or so but we had come to see the shrine to La Virgen de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope).
This is a beautiful little place set in a gorge in the mountains through which the River Segura runs.
The entrance to the chapelIt has been a shrine since the 17th century and is now visited by thousands of people each year. Some come to pray for their wishes of successful births, cures for illnesses etc. and some to give thanks for hopes and wishes already granted. The centre has a Chapel, a Vestry or Dressing Room, a Gift Shop, a Religious Centre, and a Restaurant. The chapel is built into a natural cave in the rocks and the whole site is peaceful and calm with laid-out walks along the river bank and areas for quiet contemplation.
A solitary pilgrimIn the “Dressing Room” behind the chapel altar, one can view at close quarters the beautiful Madonna which is used in all the ceremonies and processions at the shrine. In here there are rooms containing clothes which have been donated in thanks, and small pictures, letters, models of babies, and thanksgiving cards left by pilgrims in hope or thanks. There are even photographs of baby scans indicating, I think, an answered prayer for a baby.
The clothes which are left by grateful people are used to make new clothes for the statue of The Madonna or are sent to third world countries for re-use or to make mosquito nets.
After our visit we walked back along the river bank, the Segura here was in full spate, having enjoyed a lovely hour of peace and quiet.
Kathie on a previous visit on the riverside walk
Linda enjoying a sunny January day
Kathie and Joe on the walk back to the carThe weather remained kind to us for the rest of the day and we enjoyed afternoon tea in the open air and a pleasant drive back home.