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,
Calasparra Rice
Calasparra Rice Fields
Every year the very best rice in Spain is cultivated in the town of Calasparra. The producers grow two historic varieties – Sollana (called Calasparra rice), and the coveted Bomba, which was nearly extinct until gourmet chefs recently recognized its superior qualities for producing the perfect paella.
Both types of rice are cultivated by hand in rice paddies along the banks of the Segura River. With little more than 1,700 acres a year, Calasparra produces just one half of 1% of Spain's rice production. The townspeople protect its quality by working to rigorous Denominacion de Origen standards. Their Bomba and Sollana rice are the only ones in Spain awarded this distinction.
Unique to the cultivation of Calasparra rice is an irrigation system employing ancient aqueducts built by the Romans and maintained by the Moors. Bubbling river water flows in channels from one family plot to the next before continuing down the mountain. At 1300 feet above sea level, the constant flow of cold fresh mountain water means that the rice matures much more slowly than it would in the still flats along the Valencian shore. It produces a harder grain, which carries less moisture, thereby absorbing one third more broth while retaining its integrity.
Another distinction that enriches the nutritional value of Calasparra rice is that the farmers alternate the rice crops with other grains, or just let the fields lie fallow for a season. When it is time to plant rice, the land is ploughed in early spring. In the first few days of May the fields are flooded and men stand shoulder to shoulder to scatter the seed by hand. When the young shoots appear after two to three weeks, they are thinned. For the rest of the summer the farmers have to weed the field by hand in ankle-deep water.
At the end of September when the green of the grass becomes golden with the mature grain, the fields are drained and the rice harvested. After being prepared for market, both the Bomba and the Sollana are hand packed. About six women in blue uniforms and hairnets sew shut the individual white cloth sacks.
From beginning to end, Calasparra rice is tended caringly by the villagers. The result is the finest, most authentic rice for your paella.
The Calasparra Caves
Cueva del Puerto
Caves - Hidden charm
Head down into Calasparra's Cueva del Puerto and you will discover an extraordinarily beautiful cave, spread across various individual caverns and galleries adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. All in all, the cave is 14km long, of which some 300 meters are open to visitors with lighting and sound in several rooms. Suitable for school trips, expert speleologists and beginners alike.
Nearly all the caves in the Murcia Region are formed by limestone or dolomite, which results in the large number of cavities catalogued.
The longest-stretching cave is the Cueva del Puerto, in Calasparra, in which some 5 kilometres have been mapped.
Some of the caverns are open for guided tours; the rest can be explored by groups of cavers accompanied by guides. As far as vertical drop is concerned, the Region's deepest cave is the Destapada, in Isla Plana (Mazarrón), which goes down 230 m.
Others worth noting are the Torreta (-175 m), in the Revolcadores massif; the Buitre (-106 m), in the massif of the same name (Caravaca); the Talayón (-152 m), in Lorca; and the Caneja, near Barranda, which is 220 metres long and 99 deep.