Murcia is a region in which cultures combine and fuse to create a unique blend of Moorish and Christian heritage joining fact and fiction, legend and history , giving birth to the hybrid of modern Murcia.
Caravaca is the cross, and the cross is Caravaca, the two inseparable by nearly 780 years of history, going back to the days when this area was ruled by the arabs, and although there were practising Christians living here, the area was of little significance and relatively small population, part of the domain of the Sayid almohade de Valencia, Abu Zeit or Ceyt Abu-Ceyt.
There is very little documentation remaining from this time, but it is known that a fortified arab fortress, a hisn, dominated the hilltop, much as the existing Castillo does today, protecting the important trade routes which linked Spain with the lucrative Mediterranean coastal trading ports.
This area witnessed the constant power struggle between the Christian and Moorish forces, and in 1232, when the legend of the cross was born, the area came under the stewardship of Ceyt Abu-Ceyt.
Visiting the castle on the 3rd May 1232, he ordered that the prisoners languishing in the castles' dungeons be brought before him so that he could question them himself, before deciding their fate.
Amongst their number was the Priest Gines Perez Chirios, whose profession provoked the curiosity of the Abu-Ceyt, questioning him about the form of his religion and what he believed.
Abu-Ceyt ordered him 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.
Overcome by the vision, Abu-Ceyt fell to his knees and converted to the Christian Faith, and news of the Vera Cruz spread as it gained a reputation as a powerful protector and healer in the centuries to come.
Another version explaining the presence of the Cross in Caravaca is that it was brought here from the Holy Land by the Knights Templar, delivered to a place of sanctuary and protected by them until their order was disbanded by Pope Clement V in 1312, although this is also believed to be conveniently wrapping the mystique and romantic idealism of the saintly knights to conveniently fit a legend as they are not believed to have been in the area until 1241 when Alfonso X, the wise, conquered the area.
Others believe that the cross was brought to this place of refuge by persons travelling incognito, guardians of the true cross which had been discovered in Jerusalem by St Helena, mother of Constantine , on a trip to Jerusalem in the fourth century.
The legend, however, doesn't end here.
In the temptestuous year of 1934 as Spain imploded into Civil strife the cross was stolen.
On the night of the 13th/14th February it disappeared from the sanctuary.
As dawn broke word spread around town and a terrified mob gathered in the street, panicking that their protector, the true cross had been lost. The chaplain was seized and dragged to the street, with accusations ringing of his implication, his consent, and although he denied all knowledge of its' theft, blood ran as he was executed in broad daylight with a single shot of a pistol from the impassioned townspeople.
But no matter the accusations, the cross was never seen again, although many believed it had been taken for its' own protection, some said by the Knights Templar, others that it was carried to Rome for safety, others that it is still guarded by those who know its' true identity and whereabouts.
However, the turbulent years of the civil war passed and the cross was still missing.
Caravaca de la Cruz was bereft.
Following discussions with the Vatican, Pope Pius XII decided to give the town 2 splinters from another section of the cross of Jesus, a treasure guarded for centuries within the walls of the Vatican, creating a reliquary of the same design to house them.
These were given in 1942 and in 2006, to celebrate the 775th anniversary of the appearance of the cross, 200 pilgrims travelled from Caravaca to the Holy Land and were given a third splinter of the true cross, which is now housed within the Vera Cruz we see today.
Some say this is the true cross returned to its rightful place, but were its true origins revealed, questions could be asked about its' disappearance, and as we all know, sleeping dogs are best left sleeping in the sunlight.
The aura surrounding the Vera Cruz, however, is undeniable, and many who have worshipped in the side chapel where the cross is housed, are touched by the overwhelming sense of peace it evokes, the faith of millions of worshippers throughout over 700 years of history filling the sanctuary with love, and the essence of deep belief and unquestionable faith, sanctifying this, the sanctuary of three splinters from the cross on which Jesus Christ himself perished.
Homed within the Vera Cruz, the heart of Caravaca.
If you want to feel the essence of what Caravaca is, watch this video. It's in spanish, but if you've read the story, it gives you a taster of what this place is all about,
Click Video, Caravaca de la Cruz.
| Area | Town | Subject |
| Caravaca de la Cruz.. | History of Caravaca.. |
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