The Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción in Caravaca de la Cruz

This church in Caravaca was built over a period of centuries starting in 1534

iglesia de la Purísima Concepción

This church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, stands outside the historic old centre of Caravaca de la Cruz alongside the tree-lined avenue of Calle Corredera and next to the Plaza del Templete. Construction began in the 1530s, but this is one of the long-term projects in the north and north-west of Murcia which took centuries to reach completion, the final stage being the last storey of the tower known as the “Torre de los Pastores”, which has become one of the most emblematic sights in the Holy City of Caravaca.

The location is well over half a kilometre south-west of the Plaza del Arco and the castle-sanctuary in which the holy relic of the True Cross is kept, and when it was first built the Iglesia de la Concepción was outside the city centre. However, as Caravaca grew over the centuries it was absorbed into the built-up area, and it now stands as a monument to many styles of architecture, including the “mudéjar” use of Islamic designs incorporated into Gothic, Renaissance and Romanesque buildings: this is particularly noticeable in the elaborately decorated ceilings.

The history of the Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción

The project to build a place of worship dedicated to both Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and San Juan de Letrán was first mooted by the members of the local clergy in Caravaca de la Cruz in the early 16^th century, with the objective being not only to hold religious services but also to provide a burial place for members of the brotherhood who built it. This latter intention was thwarted in the 19^th century by a law prohibiting burials inside churches.

Financing was sought from the brotherhood’s own funds as well as from donations, but was nonetheless to prove a constant problem, causing numerous delays during the construction of the church.

The first stage of building lasted approximately from 1534 to 1560, and little is known concerning who might have been responsible for the design. However, during this period the main body of the church was completed, and the first reference to any artist working on the church comes in 1544, when stonemason Martín de Homa was contracted to work on the main chapel, onto which the chapel of San Juan de Letrán was added. The Capilla del Cristo, which is opposite the one dedicated to San Juan de Letrán, also belongs to this phase, and was built by Juan Miravete.

After a hiatus lasting a generation, during which some maintain that funds were diverted to the building of the hospital on the northern side of the church, work re-started in 1587, and between this date and 1605 the last arch of the choir was completed. Domingo Ortiz and Diego de Villabona completed the main nave early in the 17^th century, and the contract to provide decorative woodwork was then awarded to Baltasar Molina.

A few years later it was decided to build a tower similar to the one on which work was already under way at the church of El Salvador, but at the same time cracks appeared in the main chapel and in 1611 advice was sought from the stonemasons Damián Plá, Miguel de Madariaga and Miguel Sánchez.

The first stage of the tower was completed in around 1620 and two more followed soon afterwards: however, the fourth and last one was not added until the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries, when it was crowned with blue tiles.

The tower is known as the “Torre de los Pastores” (the shepherds’ tower), possibly for a couple of reasons. It is believed that part of the reason for such a tall structure was to provide a means of warning those working in the fields of imminent dangers or bad weather, but at the same time the tower provided a landmark by which shepherds and others in the countryside could take their bearings.

As late as the second half of the 20th century changes were still being made: in the 1970s the wooden floor was replaced with stone, and in the following decade the two parts of the choir were joined together as one. This did away with an arrangement by which a separate area was provided for those attending Mass from the hospital.

The Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción in Caravaca de la Cruz

Works of religious art in the Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción

One of the most important features of the church is the 18th-century baroque altar screen, which is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, while the figure depicting the Immaculate Conception was created in 1792 by local sculptor Fernández Caro.

On either side of the main chapel worshippers are welcomed by two lamp-bearing angels, and to the right of the main altar is a chapel containing an altar screen decorated with estipite columns. This altar screen is presided over by an “Ecce Homo” created by Marcos Laborda in the 18th century.

There are also two large paintings from the 18^th century, one representing the Adoration of the Magi and the other the Vision of San Ignacio de Loyola.

In terms of religious sculptures, the figure of “Cristo atado a la columna” (Christ bound to the column) is a copy of works created by Francisco Salzillo, and is usually carried through the streets in the procession which is held in Caravaca on the Wednesday of Easter Week. Those bearing the tableau are the members of the Cofradía del Cristo de la Misericordia brotherhood, better known locally as the “Cofradía de los Coloraos” or the “Paso Encarnado”.

Documentary evidence shows that the figure of the Cristo de la Misericordia dates from 1722, and it is known that it was paraded through the streets during the 18^th century during long droughts as the inhabitants of Caravaca prayed for rain, along with the Virgen de la Encarnación and the Holy Cross. This figure features in the annual Good Friday procession, when it is carried thorugh the streets by the brotherhood which bears the same name.

The sculpture of San José y El Niño (Saint Joseph and the Infant) is from the first decade of the 18^th century and is attributed to Nicolás Salzillo, while that of San Francisco de Asís (Saint Francis of Assisi) is believed to be the work of one of the artists closely associated with Nicolás de Bussy.

Mass times

For almost all of the year Mass is held in the Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción at 18.30 every day of the week, with additional services at 10.30 and 12.30 on Sundays and religious holidays.

During the summer the daily evening Mass is held back until 19.30 (20.00 in July and August), while on Sunday mornings and religious holidays there are also services at 10.30 and 12.30 (the latter of these two is suspended in July and August).

Visiting times

The church is open all year round on every day of the week except Monday. From Tuesday to Saturday the building is open to the public from 9.30 to 13.30 and 18.30 to 20.30 (19.00 to 21.00 in summer), while on Sundays the timetable is from 9.00 to 11.30 and from 18.30 to 20.30 (19.00 to 21.00 in summer).

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