Rome, Jerusalem and three Spanish cities are the only in the world that are granted a Holy Jubilee Year by the Vatican.
One of them, Caravaca de la Cruz, is home to a wood fragment of the Holy Cross. And since January of 2024, this city has been celebrating its Jubilee year.
While Caravaca de la Cruz welcomes pilgrims each day, locals are especially important in spreading the message of the Jubilee.
MIGUEL NAVARRO
Pilgrim
We have entered practically all of the towns and visited squares and churches. We have been in contact with the people and have been very close to all these places. It has been an unforgettable and fruitful experience.
Miguel and his team journeyed around 300 miles across notable cities and basilicas in Spain to spread the word about Caravaca de la Cruz's story and Jubilee.
MIGUEL NAVARRO
Pilgrim
Many people knew of Caravaca de la Cruz but many did not. So we would tell them that we are from there and explain what we are doing. In many cases, they did not know the history or significance, so we were fortunate to spread it to them and this has brought a lot of success.
Caravaca de la Cruz has been a pilgrimage destination since the 14th century. But it was not until 1998 that a Jubilee was established, when Pope John Paul II called for one to take place every seven years.
The city has since welcomed local pilgrims and those from around the world.
MIGUEL NAVARRO
Pilgrim
People come from many provinces of Spain and even from outside of Spain. We have even met a couple of cyclists who came from France through the Greenway of Caravaca.
The last Jubilee celebrated in Caravaca de la Cruz was in 2017, where more than 500,000 pilgrims visited the city. The locals are hopeful that they will surpass this number by the end of 2024.
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