PROPERTY SEARCH
December 15 to 31 Exhibition of paintings by ZacarÃas Cerezo showing the pilgrimage route to Caravaca de la Cruz
125 paintings are included in the Andar Para Pintarlo exhibition at the Círculo Mercantil in Caravaca
As Caravaca de la Cruz prepares for the influx of tourists, hikers and pilgrims making their way to the city in 2024 to commemorate the Holy Jubilee Year an exhibition of paintings by Zacarías Cerezo illustrating the beauty of the pilgrimage route which crosses the Region of Murcia is being held in the Mirror Room of the Círculo Mercantil (in the Plaza del Arco).
The 125 paintings are completing a tour of six locations during late 2023, beginning in Jumilla and then visiting Cieza, Moratalla, Calasparra and Yecla before reaching their logical end point in Caravaca. This exhibition has been sponsored by the Fundación Camino de la Cruz as part of the preparations for the Jubilee Year in 2024.
In compiling his paintings Zacarías Cerezo completed the Camino de la Cruz route himself, easel and pallet in hand, hence the title of the exhibition (translation Walk It to Paint It). Among the scenes he depicts are many of the museums, churches, monumental buildings, squares and marketplaces he passed on the way, as well as local people and legends.
The roots of the original Camino de la Vera Cruz pilgrimage route lie in the Middle Ages and transcend the boundaries of the Region of Murcia as it linked Caravaca with Puente La Reina in the northern Spanish region of Navarra. In total it covers a distance of over 900 kilometres and also passes through the Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla-La-Mancha and Aragón, and at present the regional tourist board and government are working on renovating the signage along the route.
For more local events, news and visiting information go to the Caravaca section of Murcia Today.
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268
