Templete

The ritual of Baño de la Vera Cruz (commonly known as “dip of the Cross”) in water, is without a question the oldest rite of this holy relic. Its origin can be traced back to the XIV century, most probably to 1384 according to Robles Corbalan and it is the birth of the Festivities in Honor of the True Cross.

Firstly, the ceremony of Baño de la Cruz has always being celebrated in the same place because it is where the most important irrigation flows come together in Caravaca. There was not any monument or similar construction in this place where the Cross was dipped, just a water ditch where the flows came together. However, in the XVI century, an humilladero -monument generally with a cross, in this case made of stone, located at the entrance of some cities- was in this area, which was established as bañadero of the Relic.

In the XVII century, given the religious importance reached by the celebration of Baño de la Cruz, the city council and the Brotherhood of the Cross started to think about remodeling and preserving the Humilladero and a chapel with wooden gable roof held by two pillars, which sheltered the Cross of the Humilladero.

In 1761, given the deterioration of the existing chapel, a quotation is sent to the Duque of Parma requesting economic help for the construction of a new Capilla del Baño. As the building was dilapidated, the city council did not wait for a reply and ordered the drawing of the new building to the Murcian architect Jose Lopez. The drawings were presented and approved by the city council on the 2nd of June of the following year, moving the architect to the city for the works beginning.

The artist conceived a building of centric floor in which inscribes a hexagonal plant floor whose angles are Doric columns, leaned against frames that hold the entablature.

Four sections are clearly distinguishable: the podium, in which the building is set and where the pillars stand; the main body which encloses the area and shapes the monument; the dome over the closed drum roof of Arab slates and, finally, the lantern with six openings that tries to make the building more aesthetically pleasant. It is a Baroque building, almost neoclassical, and every May 3rd the rite of Baño de la Cruz keeps being celebrated, that is reason why this building is also called Bañadero.

Geographical coordinates: Latitude 38.104972 Length -1.865194