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October 1-2 Caravaca hosts 1st International Meeting of Jubilee Cities
The exciting event will unite Jubilee destinations from around the world in Caravaca de la Cruz
Imagine a gathering of the world's most revered pilgrimage destinations, coming together to share knowledge, experiences and inspiration on the occasion of the 2024 Holy Jubilee. This is the aim of the 1st International Meeting of Jubilee Cities, a historic event that will unite the likes of Jerusalem, Rome, Santo Toribio de Liébana, Santiago de Compostela and Caravaca de la Cruz in a celebration of spiritual tourism and cultural heritage.
Hosted by the Caravaca Town Hall and the headquarters of the Catholic University of San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), this two-day event will bring together tourism experts from around the world in the Jerónimos Monastery.
The meetings will explore topics such as the cult of relics, the structuring and exploitation of pilgrimage routes and sustainable and environmental initiatives for a greener future.
“The best way to celebrate this Jubilee Year 2024 is by uniting destinations, with which we have much in common, and opening a space for meeting and dialogue, from which we will all emerge stronger,” stressed mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Francisco García.
Running on October 1 and 2, the event will feature a range of thought-provoking conferences and round table discussions, including an opening conference on the role of jubilee towns and cities in spiritual tourism and a closing conference by the Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor Francisco José Prieto.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the Basílica-Santuario de la Vera Cruz, the church of El Salvador and the old church of San José, and attend a pilgrim mass presided over by visiting religious authorities.
This inaugural meeting marks the beginning of a biennial tradition, with future events alternating between the participating destinations.
A detailed programme of activities and registration for this exciting Jubilee 2024 event can be found at https://ciudadesjubilares.com/.
For more local information, including the Holy Jubilee Year as well as local news and what’s on, go to the home page of Caravaca 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 sahres 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
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