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August 2025 Historical drama in Caravaca about Juana la Loca, the supposedly mad queen of Spain
Juana la Apasionada proposes an alternative theory about the Queen who reigned for 39 years but was never freed from confinement
Queen Juana I of Castilla, is perhaps most easily identified for those who know more about British than Spanish history as the elder sister of Catherine Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, but in Spain she is at least as famous as her sibling mostly due to her unfortunate nickname of “Juana la Loca” (Juana the Mad).
Whether she was actually insane or not is a matter fiercely debated by historians, but the fact is that after she inherited the throne in 1516 following the death of her husband, Felipe II of Aragón, she was remained in confinement (where she had been since 1509) until her death 39 years later. For this reason she was queen only in name, the reins of power being handed first to her father and then to her son, Carlos I.
The official reason for her confinement in the castle of Tordesillas and others was that she was both physically and mentally impaired, her condition being variously described as melancholy, severe depression, psychosis, schizophrenia and others, most of these conclusions having been reached centuries after her death.
But whatever her condition, it is hard to believe that being imprisoned for 46 years by her own family, and probably being maltreated by her custodians, cannot have had a beneficial effect, and this dramatization at the castle of Caravaca de la Cruz represents a counter-theory that she should be known as “Juana la Apasionada”, or Juana the Impassioned. One cornerstone for this argument concerns her behaviour after the demise of her husband, when she stubbornly refused to leave the side of his coffin as it was transferred from Burgos to Granada so that his remains could lie alongside those of his mother (except for his heart, which was sent to Brussels!).
Another theory is that her madness was simply invented by her father, Fernando el Católico, so that he could assume power following the death of Felipe. All of these theories remain unproven, largely because Fernando and Carlis were suspiciously careful to destroy all documentary evidence including their own correspondence.
The performances at Caravaca castle take place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday during August, starting at 22.00. Tickets are priced at 12 euros (11 euros for children) and are available online here.
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist office and information points or go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
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Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
