Campo del Príncipe and the Christ of the Favors
Why is it significant?
Step into the vast, rectangular expanse of the Campo del Príncipe, the beating heart and central social forum of Granada's historic Realejo neighborhood.
Key Facts
| Place | Campo del Príncipe and the Christ of the Favors |
|---|---|
| Address | Campo del Príncipe s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain |
| Geo Coordinates | 37.17250, -3.59150 |
| Part of Walk | Sacromonte Caves and El Realejo: Flamenco Heritage and Noble Carmenes |
| Generated | Generated |
Step into the vast, rectangular expanse of the Campo del Príncipe, the beating heart and central social forum of Granada's historic Realejo neighborhood. Originally a sprawling open-air Muslim parade ground in the ancient Jewish quarter of Garnata al-Yahud, the square was transformed in 1497 by the Catholic Monarchs to celebrate the lavish royal wedding festivities of their only son, Prince Juan, to Margaret of Austria. Ringed by traditional two-story whitewashed houses with wrought-iron balconies and shaded by leafy melia trees, the square buzzes with neighborhood life as locals gather at outdoor tapas terraces. The wide rectangular plaza was historically paved with cobblestones gathered from local riverbeds, bordered by lively traditional taverns where generations of neighborhood residents have shared regional tapas and local wine.
Walk to the center of the square to stand before the monument that commands the devotion of all Granada: the Cristo de los Favores, a monumental Crucifixion sculpture carved in 1640 from red jasper and black stone by master sculptor Alonso de Mena. Enclosed by an ornate seventeenth-century wrought-iron railing with four bronze lanterns, this revered cross has been the focal point of deep civic faith for nearly four centuries, credited with protecting the neighborhood during catastrophic plagues in the seventeenth century.
Every year on Good Friday at exactly three in the afternoon, the hour of Christ's death, the entire square becomes packed with more than thirty thousand people in total, breathless silence. To the mournful sound of a single military cornet, the gathered multitude recites five Our Fathers and asks the Christ of the Favors for three wishes, marking the emotional zenith of Granada's Holy Week.
Look at the base of the jasper pedestal: you can read Latin inscriptions carved in 1679 granting spiritual indulgences to all who recite prayers before the cross.
Walk northwest along Calle de las Damas toward the fortified sixteenth-century mansion of Casa de los Tiros.