CalidaCare
The Sanctuary
Bq 8 No 63, La Canada, Tierra de Sol, 30420, Calasparra, Murcia, Spain
e-mail calidacare@gmail.com
Tele: Sue: 0034 636231519/English number: 0044 7760245814
Jane: 0034 649539130
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary/ Sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza / Our Lady of Hope/ A Place of Pilgrimage
Virgen de la Esperanza or Our Lady of Hope. According to legend, the small religious image was found inside the cave by a shepherd seeking refuge. When the religious authorities from Calasparra tried to move the carving to one of the churches in the town, the image became extraordinarily heavy in relation to its size. This was taken to mean that the Virgin wished to be worshipped in her grotto. A larger, baroque sculpture was placed next to the original image (a small wood-carved bust of the Virgin Mary known as "La Pequenica" or the "Little One") and, according to documents found, both have been worshipped together, the small one at the feet of the larger one, since 1786.
Caravaca de la Cruz - Murcia - Spain
Located in the northwest of the Murcia region is the holy town of Caravaca de la Cruz, with a population of approximately 25,000, it is a medium sized town with a history to rival that of any other in the region. One of only 5 Holy Cities of the world (as declared by the Vatican), Caravaca shares this honour with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liébano. Pope Benidict XVI visited in 2002 for the benefaction of the cross.
Caravaca de la Cruz gets its name from a piece of wood in the shape of a cross with twin arms, which is reputed to have been part of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The legend relates that in 1232, Ceyt-Abuceyt the Moorish king at that time along with his Arabic subjects, all became Christians upon witnessing the appearance of the cross being lowered from the heavens by two angels, enabling an imprisoned priest to perform the mass. Since then the Catholic Church has acknowledged it as the True Cross (Vera Cruz) and it has been carefully guarded by the Christian faith ever since. The Cruz de Caravaca has become the symbol of the town and is now housed in the church sanctuary.
Caravaca de la Cruz,
Holy Town.
In 1998 the Pope awarded Caravaca de la Cruz the Jubilee Year, making this town the fifth in the world, together with four
other cities, Santiago de Compostela, Santo Toribio de Liébana, Roma and Jerusale,