cross delivered by the angels included a piece of the True Cross. This appearance of the Cross is remembered by the people of Caravaca each year in acts that constitute a real festive tradition supported by a legend with historical foundation recalled from the Middle Ages. Indeed, the May festivities in honor of the Blessed and Vera Cruz are a perfect combination of color, culture, religion and entertainment in which all citizens participate unconditionally, inviting visitors to share the celebrations. More than just a holiday, the fiestas of Moors and Christians of Caravaca are a cult of the past, a tribute to history. Because of these miracles and the relic of the True Cross, in 1998 Caravaca de la Cruz became the fifth Holy City (along with Santiago de Compostela, Santo Toribio de Liébana, Rome and Jerusalem) celebrating the Perpetual Jubilee in the Vera Cruz Sanctuary (Sanctuario de la Vera Cruz), where the Cross of Caravaca is kept. Centuries later, after Christopher Columbus set sail on his voyage of discovery (1492) Franciscan friars travelled to the Americas, taking copies of the Caravaca Cross with them. The design is still commonly seen in Central and South American churches and monasteries. Houses and business premises also have copies pinned to the wall like lucky charms, and may be surrounded by a lucky horseshoe. The Caravaca Cross shows a Corpus on a Patriarchal Cross, often flanked by two angels. The upper of the two bars on the Patriarchal Cross normally represents an inscription; the Caravaca Cross is unusual in that the arms of the corpus are nailed to the upper rather than the lower bar. The power of the Cross of Caravaca is in its original meaning and foremost representation of a religious value that was the maintaining starting point of other values. Without the religious symbolism, the Cross had not had the importance and character development in its history. Secular symbols usually do not cause the same force as religious symbols, which are the meeting place of a transcendent reality and other material. The Caravaca Cross is the symbol of a city, protecting and giving strength to all its people. It provides a deep feeling of community to all caravaqueños, and it also reaches deep into the heart of the pilgrims who come to visit the Sanctuary. For almost eight centuries of pilgrims' worship it was guarded by the Knights Templar, and