Mariblanca XVII - The Historic City of Murcia

The cathedral is visible for miles because of it's 96 meter high tower which houses no less than 25 bells and inside are many different styles and cultures including 23 different chapels. The beautiful and historic city of Murcia stands on the banks of the River Segura and it's city walls are a reminder of the Moorish influence in Spain. Following the famous reconquest all the twenty mosques in the city were turned into churches.

The Baroque style Catherdal of Santa Maria is the the most notable of them all, construction work began in the 14th century and lasted for another four centuries. The cathedral is visible for miles because of it's 96 meter high tower which houses no less than 25 bells and inside are many different styles and cultures including 23 different chapels.

Located near the Cathedral is the Bishop's Palace, dating back to 1748 with two wonderful facades. Another place of interest is the magnificent 19th Casino which dates back to 1847 and contains a lovely library, the hidden secrets of the Lady's Powder Room, a magnificent Moorish patio and a splendid Neo-baroque Ballroom.

The 18th century Convent Church of Santa Ana is the third church to be built on this site, the original dating back to 1490. Here you can try the freshly baked cakes, made by the enclosed order of nuns who serve them through a revolving hatch to avoid breaking their vow of no contact with the outside world. The 18th century Church of San Miguel stands on the site of an earlier church and has wonderful coloured altarpieces. The Almudi dates from 1602 and was formerly the storage place for public corn collected as tithes. It was reconditioned in 1985 and now houses the art centre and city archives.

The Salzillo Museum houses an impressive collection of life-sized polychrome sculptures. The figures were carved by 18th century Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo and beautifully painted in bright colours. During the Holy Week processions in the city, these sculptures are taken out of the museum and carried around the city in elegant processions full of flowers and, at night, candles.

These finely detailed sculptures portray events leading up to and including the Crucifixion.

Murcia serves as a major producer of agricultural products and it is common to find tomatoes, lettuce, lemons and oranges from this region in European supermarkets. Murcia is also a nation of wines devoting about 100,000 acres to grape vinyards, most of the which are located in the nearby town of Jumilla.