Caravaca De La Cruz
Caravaca is situated in NW Murcia about 70 minutes drive from Almond Tree Villa. It’s a very interesting drive if you go via La Parroquia. The town itself is dominated by a castle, the origins of which are Muslim. The military Order of the Templars were a a great influence on it’s development from 1266-1312, and afterwards the Order of Santiago. Undoubtedly the importance of Caravaca is as a place of pilgrimage due to the mysterious appearance of the "Lignum Crucis’ (the holy and true cross) in May 1231. The cross is of Eastern origin and according to local history, it belonged to the patriarch Robert of Jerusalem, who was the first Bishop of the Holy Town once it was conquered from the Muslims during the first Crusade in 1099. In 1230 the Emperor Fredric 11, the successor to the bishop of Jerusalem, conveyed the relic to Caravaca, where it arrived some two years later. Caravaca castle is situated on a hill with the medieval streets around it. Parking is very haphazard, although there are plenty of signs to parking there does not appear to be a car park as such. You could easily spend half a day wandering the old streets but don’t expect ’The Shambles’ in terms of shopping! There are plenty of tapas bars about and even a few ’menu del dias’. The rather odd facade below is the Plaza de Toros and the church is the Santuario De La Stma. Y Vera Cruz.
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