June 29 On the Trail of the Cross of Cehegin, a guided tour

The fascinating story of the most important emblem of the town of Cehegín

The Cross of Cehegín is an ancient piece of metalwork which can be seen in the town's archaeological museum and which was found on the site of the City of Begastri, a Visigoth city built over the ruins of both Iberian and Roman settlements which existed here many centuries before the modern town, and which is an important part of local history and legend.

The survival of this cross is in fact little short of miraculous, as it nearly ended up in a scrapyard. This was avoided by Cristóbal Sánchez de Amoraga, a former mayor of Cehegín, who bought it for just 50 pesetas in the late 1940s – it had been found by a man nicknamed “El Piños” in 1932, when he was digging a trench for the construction of the railway near Cabezo de Roenas, although he had no idea of its origins, value or historical significance.

39.5 cm high and 31.8 cm across, it features a monogrammed disc with a diameter of 3.7 cm. Both faces of the disc are decorated with small dots cut into the circle and it probably dates from the 6th or 7th century. The likelihood is that it is a Hispano-Roman piece from the time when Christianity was consolidating its foothold in the area, and a replica now hangs above the altar in the church of Santa María Magdalena.

The remarkable symbolism of the cross includes 2 dolphins whose eyes are shedding tears and the “Chrismon” or circular disc containing the first two letters of the name of Christ in Greek.

It is not only a beautiful artifact but also of great archaeological and historical interest, and how it came to be created and found in Cehegín is the subject of this guided tour on June 29.

The free tour round the historic town centre of Cehegín begins at 11.00 in the Plaza del Alpargatero, and bookings should be made online here.

Further information is available from the tourist office of Cehegín, Calle López Chicheri 5, telephone 968 723550, email oficinaturismo@cehegin.es.