Caravaca

Caravaca de la Cruz
Municipality
Panorama of Caravaca
Coat of arms
Caravaca de la Cruz Location in Spain
Coordinates: 38°6′N 1°52′W / 38.100°N 1.867°W / 38.100; -1.867Coordinates: 38°6′N 1°52′W / 38.100°N 1.867°W / 38.100; -1.867
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Murcia
Province	Murcia
Comarca	Comarca del Noroeste
Judicial district	Caravaca de la Cruz
Government
• Alcalde	José Moreno (2015) (PSOE)
Area
• Total	859 km2 (332 sq mi)
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	26,415
• Density	31/km2 (80/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Caravaqueño, ña
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	30400
Website	Official website

Caravaca de la Cruz (or simply and more commonly Caravaca) is a town and municipality of southeastern Spain in the province of Murcia, near the left bank of the River Argos, a tributary of the Segura. This city is the capital of the northwest Region of Murcia. It has a population of 26,449 as of 2010 (INE). In 1900 it had 15,846 inhabitants.

It is the Fifth Holy City of Catholic Christianity, having been granted the privilege to celebrate the jubilee year in perpetuity in 1998 by the then Pope John Paul II), along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Camaleño (Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana). It celebrates its jubilee every seven years; the first being in 2003, when it was visited by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. In 2010 the second jubilee was celebrated, and it surpassed the one million mark of visits received in 2003. Festivities of International Tourist Interest since 2004.

Caravaca is dominated by the medieval Castle of Santa Cruz, and contains several convents and a fine parish church, with a miraculous cross celebrated for its healing power, in honor of which a yearly festival is held on 3 May. Caravaca is home to many monuments and museums, many of which are important tourist attractions. The hills which extend to the north are rich in marble and iron. The town is a considerable industrial centre, with large iron-works, tanneries and paper, chocolate and oil factories.

Besides being known by the Christian relic, it also has a festival in honor of it, held between 1 and 5 May of each year, declared of International Tourist Interest in 2004. Along with processions and parades of Moors and Christians, the celebration of Horses of Wine is especially relevant, which now aspires to be the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.