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May 23 to 25 The Romería of San Isidro Labrador in the Caravaca village of Poyos de Celda
A three-day event in one of the most isolated parts of the Murcia countryside!
Los Poyos de Celda, home to the remains of an old 13th-century castle, is located in the almost empty countryside of the far west of Caravaca de la Cruz, close to the boundary with Andalucía, and over the weekend of May 23 to 25 its traditional Romería in honour of San Isidro Labrador is being held in the area of the neighbouring localities of Los Royos, La Capellanía and El Moralejo (which is actually 7 km away by road, but in this vast landscape that’s nothing!).
The schedule for the weekend includes the following:
Friday May 23
16.00: The floats and carriages for the Romería are prepared and the churches remain open from 16.00 to 22.00.
21.00: A “cena rociera” dinner in the public squares of Los Royos and El Moralejo (prior booking is required at the local salon social).
Saturday May 24
7.30: Breakfast at the social centres of Los Royos and El Moralejo.
8.00: The figures of the patron saints are taken out (The Virgen de Fátima in El Moralejo and the Virgen de la Purísima in Los Royos) and the Romería exvursion begins.
10.00: A snack en route at Torre Gijón, where the patrons of the two villages meet. Music from the Animeros de Caravaca.
11.30: The Romería continues to the tiny church of Los Poyos de Celda.
13.40: The Romería reaches Los Poyos to meet with the figure of San Isidro.
14.00: Communal lunch, paella plus bread, dessert and a drink at 10 euros per head.
15.30: Traditional music and dancing with the Animeros de Caravaca.
19.00: More music for all ages.
Sunday May 25
12.00: Mass and the Blessing of the Fields at the church of San Isidro Labrador in La Capellanía, accompanied by music from the Coro Rociero de Cehegín.
13.00: The return journey begins to the villages of El Moralejo and Los Royos.
For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
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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
