Caravaca de la Cruz, a city located in northwestern Murcia, is the capital of this vast region divided into 14 districts, bordering municipalities in the neighboring provinces of Granada, Jaén, and Albacete. It currently has nearly 26,000 inhabitants who are known for their hospitable nature and their love of their land and traditions, which they share with their visitors and tourists in a friendly and cordial manner.

It is noted for its extensive monumental heritage, which has been carefully preserved and enhanced. It was a town of the Knights Templar and later of the Order of Santiago, where numerous religious orders, Franciscans, Jesuits, and Carmelites of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Jesus, settled.

Caravaca is known worldwide for its Cross, venerated with great devotion since the 13th century. It is a “Lignum Crucis,” a piece of wood from the timber on which Christ was crucified. In 1998, the privilege of celebrating a Permanent Jubilee Year around the Sacred Relic was obtained, granting plenary indulgence to pilgrims who come to its Basilica-Sanctuary, which houses the Most Holy and True Cross.

The Patron Saint Festival is held from May 1st to 5th in honor of the Most Holy and True Cross. It has been declared of International Tourist Interest and commemorates events that occurred during the long period when Caravaca de la Cruz was a border area with the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. Of particular interest are its Moors and Christians and its unusual and unique celebration, the Caballos del Vino (Wine Horses), purebred horses exquisitely harnessed with hand-embroidered mantles, true works of art, and recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.