The Templete and the bathing of the Cross of Caravaca

The Templete is one of the most iconic monuments in Caravaca de la Cruz

Fiestas of the Santisima y Vera Cruz: 3rd May, bathing of the cross and blessing the waters

The Templete is often referred to by locals simply as the Bañadero, the bathing place, due to its significance in the Fiestas of the Santísima y Vera Cruz at the beginning of May, although it is also the most instantly recognisable and iconic of the many monuments within the Holy City of Caravaca de la Cruz.

The Templete we see today was built in 1762 on the same location as a former chapel, and stands above a water fountain which has been the scene of a ritual act of blessing the waters of the city and the outlying agricultural areas since the first documented date of 1384.

Beneath this existing structure is the point at which the Mediaeval irrigation systems joined, the heart of the channels which breathed life into the soil and the agricultural exploitations of the community who farmed the lands surrounding Caravaca. This was a significant point in the town and was marked with a "Humilladero" in the shape of a cross, a symbol indicating its importance.

The Templete was completed in 1801 and has been at the centre of the key ritual of the annual Fiestas of the Santísima y Vera Cruz (the Cross of Caravaca, a reliquery containing a splinter of the lignum crucis, the cross on which Jesus died, and which is housed in the Basílica throughout the year) ever since.

These fiestas are celebrated at the beginning of May and on the 3rd May the Cross of Caravaca is bathed in the waters of the Templete, blessing the waters of the town and all the lands around them, protecting the agriculturalists, nourishing the orchards and crops which feed the inhabitants and sanctifying the waters within the fountain.

As with many elements of modern fiestas, the rituals enacted today have a basis in local legend: in this case the story relates to an episode of locust infestation, when a plague of these ravenous insects which can swarm from the African mainland descended on the land around Caravaca de la Cruz, ravaging the cereal crops which formed the basis of the winter food stores for the agricultural community at this period in time.

Placing their faith in the power of the cross to save them, residents bathed the Vera Cruz in the waters at this point, which streamed off into the irrigation channels and soaked the ground surrounding them. More water was sprinkled over the voracious plague, then suddenly, a miracle occurred as the locusts began to die.

Within minutes the ground was a writhing black mass of dying locusts and soon there was only silence.

And the town was saved.

Locals still take the water that has been blessed during this action on the 3rd May to sprinkle on their plants and agricultural plots, and the remaining water is conserved by the Cofradia of the Stma y Vera Cruz for use in religious activities throughout the year.

The bathing of the cross takes place each year following a mock skirmish between the forces of the Moors and Christians, at 9pm on the third day of the fiestas, after which the Vera Cruz is triumphantly paraded to the church of El Salvador, followed by an enormous fireworks display.

The Templete lies at the end of the Glorieta, or Plaza Corredera, a large tree lined plaza which is used for many cultural events including the monthly artisan market, the Semana Santa processions and as a cool, shaded walkway by locals throughout the year.

The structure of the Templete

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