The Region of Murcia has a history and an architectural richness that is reflected in incredible castles, fortresses, archaeological remains or religious enclaves of enormous value.
The value and variety of its culture is shown in the capital Murcia, Cartagena with more than 3,000 years of history, or Lorca, known for its extensive baroque heritage.
We highlight 9 monuments that have become the most significant in the Region:
The Region of Murcia has a history and an architectural richness that is reflected in incredible castles, fortresses, archaeological remains or religious enclaves of enormous value.
The value and variety of its culture is shown in the capital Murcia, Cartagena with more than 3,000 years of history, or Lorca, known for its extensive baroque heritage.
We highlight 9 monuments that have become the most significant in the Region:
The Cathedral of Murcia has more than 600 years of history and is built on the old mosque of the city. However, it is famous because it combines 3 different styles: Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.
It also has a wonderful museum, which allows you to climb its tower or visit the famous Capilla de Los Vélez. In addition, the heart of Alfonso X El Sabio rests in an urn on the High Altar.
The Real Casino de Murcia is one of the most emblematic places in the city of Murcia.
It began to be built in 1847. It is a mixture of different artistic styles that coexisted in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in Spain.
It was declared a national historical-artistic monument in 1983, so it is currently considered of cultural interest, with the category of monument. Its Louis XVI-style ballroom stands out.
The Teatro romano de Cartagena was built by Augustus Emperor in the 1st century BC. and had a capacity for about 6,000 spectators.
The discovery and dig of the Teatro romano de Cartagena took place in 1987 by chance. Despite the time elapsed, this continues to be one of the most surprising discoveries in the archeology of the city in recent years.
The Fundación del Teatro Romao de Cartagena was established in 2003 and made up of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, the Cartagena City Council and the Cajamurcia Foundation to carry out the comprehensive recovery project for this monument.
In addition, the considerable wealth of the pieces found during the successive excavation campaigns in the theater has offered the opportunity to provide the city with a new museum space, the Museo del Teatro Romano, designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, which leads to the visitors to the interior of the monument, turning the Roman Theater into its last great hall.
Fundación Teatro Romano de Cartagena
The Barrio del Foro Romano de Cartagena is one of the largest urban archaeological parks in Spain.
This space invites you to enter the ancient Roman city where you can walk along the old roads of Carthago Nova: the Curia or local senate; the Colonial Forum, the nerve center of the city, the Sanctuary of Isis where the mystery cults to the Egyptian gods were celebrated; the Termas del Puerto and its magnificent access portico that preserves the original floor; and to finish the Atrium Building, with its high walls and pictorial decorations.
The Museo del Foro Romano stands at the entrance. There, a selection of pieces is exhibited that allows one to discover the long history of Cerro del Molinete from the ancient Carthago Nova to the present day.
The Fortaleza del Sol is a medieval castle located in Lorca.
The site, which welcomed Muslims, Christians and Jews for centuries, is currently a large thematic space where festivals, concerts and themed visits are held.
It has a Jewish quarter where you can visit the only synagogue in Spain that did not later become a Catholic Church and you can see the remains just as they were left by the Jews who prayed in it at the end of the 15th century.
The Basílica de Caravaca is the nucleus of a fortress that belonged to the Order of the Temple and later to that of Santiago.
Its splendid Baroque façade stands out of the complex that was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument.
Protected by a wall flanked by 14 towers of different shapes and sizes, the Basilica of Caravaca houses the Santísima y Vera Cruz, a relic venerated since the 13th century inside which fragments of the Cross on which Christ died are kept.
Jumilla castle has been declared a National Monument. It was ordered to be built in 1461 by the Marquis of Villena on an old Muslim fortification and it is today an example of restoration for a cultural space.
Access to it is through the Camino del Subidor, a spectacular natural viewpoint. Inside the monument you can visit the dungeons, the troop room, the warden's room and the supply room, the parade ground, the cistern, the maestre's tower and the ruins of an old flour mill.
The Santuario de la Virgen de la Esperanza in Calasparra has the particularity of being located inside a mountain cave, in a natural environment of extraordinary beauty next to the Segura river.
The temple, from the 17th century and carved in rock, keeps inside two images of the Virgen de la Esperanza known as La Pequeñica, found by a shepherd in one of these caves, and La Grande.
The castle of Moratalla has an original Islamic structure and was built in the s. IX on Neolithic and Iberian remains, constituting an important point in the defense of Al-Andalus.
It has 6 defensive towers and Commander Alfonso de Vozmediano was hanged at its door in the 15th century.
The Torre del Homenaje is the largest tower and stands out because of its Levantine military Gothic style, which also includes its great room, the cistern and the weapons room.