You have come down into the Realejo, the quarter at the foot of the Alhambra which, according to a widespread tradition, occupies Granada’s old Jewish quarter. This great square has a festive past: in 1513 the city council prepared the space, then called Abulnest, for jousts and tournaments.

1A prince who never came

It is said that its name recalls the celebrations Granada prepared for the wedding of Prince John, the only son of the Catholic Monarchs, to Margaret of Austria in 1497. The wedding actually took place in Burgos, and the prince died that same year. So this explanation of the name belongs to tradition.

2A cross of favours

In front of you stands the Cristo de los Favores, the Christ of Favours, a white stone crucifix on a tall column. Its origins are better documented: in 1640 some residents of the Realejo raised a stone cross on another square in the quarter, and in 1682 they moved it here, together with its railing and lanterns.

Popular devotion did the rest. Every Good Friday at three in the afternoon, the hour when, according to the Gospels, Jesus died, the square fills with people who silently ask it for three favours. Nobody officially calls the gathering: it simply repeats out of custom, generation after generation. One legend attributes the devotion to the image saving the quarter from an epidemic, but no document confirms it.

In 2003 the City Council recognised this image as ‘Señor de Granada’, Lord of Granada, and in 2017 awarded it the city’s Gold Medal.

3What to look for

  • The white crucifix on its column, behind the railing.
  • The flowers and candles that locals leave at its feet.
  • The plaque recalling its title of ‘Señor de Granada’.

Documented

The cross was raised in the Realejo in 1640 and moved to the Campo del Príncipe in 1682; in 1513 the city council prepared the square for jousts and tournaments.

Oral tradition

The link between the name and Prince John’s wedding, the Jewish quarter in the Realejo and the epidemic from which the image supposedly saved the quarter all belong to tradition.

Sources and credits

Juan Ruiz Jiménez, Historical Soundscapes, entry ‘Campo del Príncipe (Granada)’ (historicalsoundscapes.com); Ayuntamiento de Granada, resolutions on the title of Señor de Granada and the city’s Gold Medal; Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada, Holy Week guide.

Photos:

  • White stone crucifix of the Cristo de los Favores on a column, among cypresses, in the Campo del Príncipe: Alorgar, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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