In the recondite days of the 13th century and beyond, the Camino de la Vera Cruz had already become a palpable reality. This path, which began crossing the majestic Pyrenees from emblematic places such as Roncesvalles or Puente la Reina, marked the beginning of a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Caravaca de la Cruz, in the northwest of the Kingdom of Murcia. In this sacred place was guarded a venerated treasure: a splinter of the Cross on which Jesus Christ gave his life.
The Lignum Crucis and the Knights Templar: Legendary Origins
The existence of the Lignum Crucis in Caravaca de la Cruz dates back to the year 1231, coinciding with the presence of the Knights of the Order of the Temple. It is believed that it was these noble warriors who brought the splinter with them from its mythical origin in Jerusalem, perhaps during the sixth or seventh of the Crusades.
The Legend of the Apparition of the True Cross, dated 1231, narrates a prodigious event in which the Almohad king Abu Zeyt, intrigued by the Christian rite, asked the captive priest Ginés Pérez Chirinos to show him the ritual of the mass. In a moment of bewilderment, when the mass began without the Cross, legend has it that the king, looking up to heaven, witnessed angels carrying the Cross requested by the priest. This miracle led to the conversion of the king and his family to Christianity.
Templars in Caravaca: Custodians and Spreaders of Worship
In the 13th century, the Order of the Temple established its presence in Caravaca, playing a crucial role in the introduction of the cult of the Vera Cruz. The creation of the Templar bailiwick in the region was closely associated with the initiation of this cult, possibly spreading through links with the Crown of Aragon, Castile and the Kingdom of Murcia itself.
The Order of the Temple not only guarded the Camino, but also contributed to the diffusion and veneration of the Holy and True Cross of Caravaca. This religious fervor, carried from man to man and from territory to territory, contributed to the significant increase in pilgrims heading to the Royal Chapel of the Vera Cruz, now known as the Basilica Menor.
Pilgrimages and the Expansion of Worship in the Late Middle Ages
Throughout the 14th century, the movement of pilgrims from distant places to Caravaca, then a borderland with Islam, was recorded. The cult to the Most Holy and Vera Cruz grew, supported by testimonies such as the legacy of a neighbor of Molina de Segura in 1363, who left in her will the instruction to send a maravedí to the Vera Cruz of Caravaca.
The ritual of the Water Bath, initiated in 1384 and attributed to miraculous powers, further consolidated the cult and attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims. The donation of Master Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa on his pilgrimage in 1390 confirmed the spread of the cult in the Order of Santiago, highlighting the veneration of the lignum crucis.
The Way of the Vera Cruz. Informative leaflet
Papal Bulls and Pilgrimages: 14th and 15th centuries
The Bulls of Pope Clement VII (1378-1394) clearly expressed the deep-rootedness of the cult of the Holy Cross of Caravaca not only in the region, but also in other parts of Spain. The pilgrims, guided by roads and routes of the time, followed in the footsteps of the Order of the Temple to communicate between bailiwicks, becoming agents of diffusion.
By the end of the 14th century, the cult of the Vera Cruz had reached a remarkable expansion, turning the chapel into a pilgrimage sanctuary. The inscriptions on the box donated by Master Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa reflected a deep appreciation and veneration for the lignum crucis.
Spanish Heritage: The Way of the Vera Cruz and Beyond
At the height of the Spanish golden age, Caravaca experienced significant growth. Religious orders such as the Hieronymite friars, Franciscans and especially the Jesuits established themselves around the Holy and Vera Cruz. The latter, in addition to their religious functions, became ambassadors of the Cross of Caravaca in missions from California to Tierra de Fuego in South America.
The city of Caravaca de la Cruz, recognized as one of the five Holy Cities of the world, together with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liébana, has been distinguished with the concession of the Holy See to celebrate the Jubilee Year every seven years since 2003. This honor not only fills the city with gratitude, but also encourages us to remember its rich historical reality and to revitalize the ancient Camino de la Vera Cruz from the Pyrenees to the Holy City of Caravaca.
