Guided Tour of San Juan de la Cruz: El Carmen de los Mártires

This high-quality, specialized guided tour allows us to explore one of Granada’s most important sites, not only for the beauty of its gardens but also for the history and spirituality enclosed within its walls. We’re talking about the Carmen de los Mártires, known in the time of the Nasrids as the Campo de Ahabul and, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, as the Campo de los Cautivos or Campo de los Mártires, due to the underground dungeons that held enslaved Christian prisoners.

At the Carmen de los Mártires, there are still remnants that bear witness to the presence of one of history’s most universal poets: St. John of the Cross. His poetry and his mysticism—intelligent and sensitive—have had a profound impact not only on figures such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Edith Stein, and John Paul II, but also on all human sensibilities, religious or otherwise.

As Antonio Machado said of him: the most poetic of the saints… and the holiest of all poets.

Enjoying and exploring the Carmen de los Mártires in depth will also allow us to stroll along the base of the Alhambra’s ramparts, taking in the peace and beauty of its forests and monuments. The Cuesta de Gomérez, a historic thoroughfare separating the Sabika Hill from the Mauror Hill, will lead us toward the city center, where the traces of Saint John of the Cross remain visible to this day.

We will learn not only about the life and literary works of Juan de la Cruz, but also about the four Carmelite convents that coexisted in Granada beginning in 1508 and the reasons that led to the division of the Carmelite Order into two branches: the Calced and the Discalced.

The close connection with Saint Teresa of Jesus in the reform of the Carmelite Order takes us directly to Granada during the final years of the Saint’s founding work, shortly before her death. Teresa of Ávila did not hesitate to turn to her beloved father, Saint John of the Cross, to found the convent of the Discalced Carmelites of Saint Joseph in Granada, which still stands today.

Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross are the foremost figures in universal mystical literature. Their exquisite literary works will provide meaning and substance to the guided tour, allowing us to discover their legacy in 16th-century Granada, where, in addition to the Catholic Reformation and the Council of Trent, turbulent times were unfolding amid the Morisco rebellions.

Language available for the tour: Spanish.