The former church of the Compañía de Jesús in Caravaca de la Cruz

Exhibition rooms at the Antigua Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús

The church and monastery of the Compañía de Jesús occupy a substantial plot on Calle Mayor in the centre of the city of Caravaca. Once an important religious centre, their main use today is as an exhibition centre and for cultural events. Before Semana Santa the church is used to display the pasos (tableaux) which are carried in the Holy Week processions, and the church also takes centre stage during the May Fiestas, when the embroidered shawls of the Wine Horses are displayed the night before the Running of the Wine Horses.

History of the church

This building was built by the Jesuits, and was initiated by Miguel de Reina, who first expressed his intention to finance the setting up of an establishment devoted educating the young in 1563. Later, other townspeople joined his initiative and secured the collaboration of the "Concejo Municipal" (the town council of the time), which offered them the use of the Ermita de San Bartolomé and the land next door. Finally, on 30^th August 1568, Francisco de Borja, a leading member of the Spanish nobility and great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, appointed Father Bartolomé de Bustamante in charge of erecting two buildings for the convent and the church.

Father Bartolomé was an experienced architect and a member of the Order, and was assisted in his work by master builder Juan Lezcano, a fellow member. The official foundation date was 23^rd February 1570.

Four years later, the first Rector of the school, Father Diego de Salazar, requested a change of location due to the many inconveniences of the first establishment, including a lack of water to irrigate the small market garden alongside it. In early 1592, the Jesuits received a licence from the Province of Toledo to move from the Ermita de San Bartolomé, which is believed to have been where the Clarisas monastery now stands.

The new site for the Jesuits was made possible by donations and property transfers from benefactors in Caravaca, especially the inheritance received following the death of Alonso Torrecilla. This included his house and garden in the Calle Mayor next to the stream known as Acequia Real or Hila de Pilar amd, together with other properties received, provided the space necessary.

Work began almost immediately under the guidance of "a good foreman from Cartagena", possibly Pedro Monte de Isla, the senior builder of the diocese. The community moved to the new premises in July 1592, despite work on the building being unfinished.

Building work continued for a long time. In 1614 the new patron of the Compañía de Jesús in the city was the Canon of Jaén Cathedral, Jerónimo Pacheco, and he gave the work fresh impetus with a much-needed injection of capital, but the building was still not finished when he died in 1620.

The second phase of construction of the Colegio e Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús began in 1700, when the master builder in charge was José Vallés from Lorca, aided by his son Felix, Diego de Mora, Manuel Serrano, Martín de Pareja and Agustín de Pareja, among others.

Work was declared complete on 23^rd August 1734, and the official inauguration took place on 19^th October of the same year.

When the Jesuits were expelled just a generation later in 1767 the monastery soon went into decline, and was practically abandoned.

Starting in 1789 the church was also home to a brotherhood, founded by agricultural workers, dedicated to the cult of San Isidro.

It was finally sold on 27^th February 1843 to Pedro Ignacio Ródenas, who turned it into an inn. It later became a fixed residence for the families who owned it, and some of the side chapels were converted into separate homes, or even garages for motor vehicles. In 2000, though, it was acquired by the Town Hall of Caravaca, which has restored the building. The monastery, meanwhile, has for a long time been used as residential and even commercial property, even housing the Casino for a long time: today, ownership is still in the hands of private individuals.

The main body of the church is principally used for exhibitions.

Location: click for map.

Further information about Caravaca is available from the tourist office (Plaza de España, 7, telephone 968 702424, email turismo@caravacadelacruz.es).

Or for more local information, including the Holy Jubilee Year as well as local news and what’s on, go to the home page of Caravaca Today.