The regional government of Murcia has purchased the huge convent of San José de Madres Carmelitas Descalzas in Caravaca de la Cruz for 800,000 euros as an investment in the organization and promotion of the next Jubilee Year in the holy city, it has been confirmed by the official government bulletin.
The convent in the Calle Mayor was founded by the Order of Santa Teresa de Jesús in the late 16th century, and consists of both the residential and garden areas as well as the church, the two parts being connected within the complex. Built in the baroque style on the site of a previous chapel dedicated to San José, the current church it was declared an Item of Cultural Interest in 2003.
The story surrounding the early days of the church is that in March 1575 there were four noble ladies among the congregation listening to the sermon of a Jesuit priest in Caravaca, and after Mass they decided not to return to their homes until Santa Teresa herself agreed to found a Carmelite monastery on the site. They effectively locked themselves into the home of a widow named Catalina de Otálora, who looked after them and helped them to communicate with Teresa at her hirst convent in Ávila.
On receiving the request from the ladies in Caravaca, Teresa initially intended to visit the city, but eventually sent representatives in her name and it was their reports which convinced her to establish the first convent of the Carmelitas Descalzas order in the former Kingdom of Murcia. A letter from Teresa to the Prioress dated 24th November 1575 is one of the most treasured possessions of the Municipal Historical Archive.
But the convent has lain empty since the nuns left in 2004, and the regional government’s intention is now to make it the centre of the next Jubilee celebrations in 2024. Plans have been mentioned for the building to house a Museum of Mysticism containing relics related to both Santa Teresa de la Cruz and San Juan de la Cruz", and a cultural venue holding exhibitions, conferences and a variety of events.
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