Journeys are made of little stories we come across while on the road
that make us feel at home in the place we currently are.
As Verona wouldn’t be the same without Romeo and Juliet,
Elche wouldn’t be Elche without a couple of stories quite curious.
The Lady of Elche
One story is the Lady of Elche’s.
The Lady is a woman-bust, kept under the soil for centuries till a young man, digging, found what seemed to him a special decorated rock. But continuing digging, he brought back to life what is now the symbol of the city of Elche.
Its use was mainly for religious and sacred ceremonies, often related to the dead.
It is now exhibited in Madrid, while a copy of the original is kept in the MAHE – museum of archeology and history of Elche .
El Misteri d’Elx
Elche, morever, holds the precious story of the Misteri d’Elx, too.
It’s a XV century’s tradition that tells the story of a wooden arch that arrived on Santa Pola’s shore, bringing to the city a picture of the Virgin.
The Mystery is an opera that is represented every August, 15th in the Basilica of Santa Maria, entirely in Valencian. Every character is played by a man, according to the ancient rule that prevented women from acting.
The unique feauture of the play is the descend of the angel, that is lowered by a manual mechanism from the top of the church.
Since 2001 it is an Oral and Inmaterial World Heriterage UNESCO.
El Huerto del Cura
The story of the chaplain José Castaño Sánchez and of his little garden became so big that it is now nicknamed imperial.
It is another UNESCO heritage, and became famous after the visit of the empress Elizabeth of Austria (aka Sissi), who went there to admire the little story of a palm. A palm that growing generated from the main trunk 7 hijos.
I could tell you about the way back on the plane,
the beautiful story of the man sat next to me that he shared with me,
but I think I’ll keep it for the next time.
Meanwhile, don’t miss reading the two other articles about my trip in Spain – summer 2017.
Valencia – my adventure PART 1
SANTA POLA – where a journey began PART 2
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What year was the guy find the bust? Did the palm trees still originated from when the chaplain planted it?
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Legit questions😊
He found it in 1897, but I could not find much information about the latter… I’ll see if I can get an answer from the friend that hosted me 😉
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thank you for sharing!! Love the stories!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Beautiful!! Loving the pictures and the stories! I would love to go!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
You’d love it!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Beautiful area! I didn’t realize they had more than one UNESCO heritage site there. Cool to know the stories behind the sites.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I didn’t either! 😉 but it’s cool that we have such an organization that helps preserve heritage sites.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Its great to hear the stories behind a place as you said!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
That’s what I love the most about traveling ♥
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
My last trip to Spain was 5 years ago and we spent most of it in Seville. Your post is making me reminisce and wanting to return to see more of the country.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I love Spain. I haven’t visited all its regions, but I’m in love! You definitely have to go back 😉
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Love hearing about new places like ! Gorgeous photos of Elche. I didn’t know that this city has two international UNESCO awards. Wow, there are the wonderful palm parks to visit, the bell tower of the cathedral to climb… and the history of the chaplain José Castaño Sánchez is just fascinating 😉
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thank you so much!
That’s the reason why I love sharing stories ♥
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
I had never heard about Elche before, this was a very interesting read! It’s those little stories that makes travelling so interesting
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I love exploring the maps looking for lost or uncommon places to visit because it is the feeling of discovering that I love. And that’s exactly what makes me love traveling. Well, actually the reasons why I love traveling are a lot, but that’s for sure one of the most important!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
I had never heard of this place before, but I now want to visit it! I love your opening sentence for this post. It’s fascinating hearing stories about a destination, and they give it much more context and meaning. Your photos are gorgeous, and that garden looks incredible!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thanks for sharing this post about Elche. This is why I love reading travel blogs, you learn something new each time! Would love to know more about your conversation with the man on the way to catch the plane 😉
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
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