Expedition to Christ of Monteagudo

A new episode in the series not dead but almost during our last stay in Spain.

François knows the city of Murcia like the back of his hand, and for good reason: his Spanish family lives there. To avoid going in circles and always discovering new things, we explore the region each time we pass through.

This year, after touring the nativity scenes, we decided to take advantage of the sunniest day of the week to walk in the countryside, heading towards Casillas and Monteagudo: a beautiful stroll under a blue sky with 68°F in the shade, not bad for late December!

Despite the rumors about the Casillas nativity scene, one of the most famous in the region, we decided to see for ourselves if it was displayed this year. The quest wasn't a total success, but at least we soaked up some sun. Since it was still early in the day (just noon according to Spanish time, so we have over two hours before the next meal!), we continue towards the village of Monteagudo (>).

Getting there is really not difficult: just follow the Christ, high on his hill! From a distance, this mountain seems enormous, topped by a welcoming Christ, waiting for pilgrims with open arms.

According to locals, the municipality had decided to remove the Christ, which was in danger of collapsing, for obvious safety reasons. But they underestimated the fervor of the Spanish people! In the face of an uproar, the decision was overturned, and the Christ was preserved ... but for how long?

We are pleasantly surprised to discover a museum at the foot of the mountain, showcasing the results of archaeological excavations in the area: really interesting, a good surprise for the lovers of ancient history that we are!

Civilizations have succeeded one another here, from the Chalcolithic era 4,400 years ago, through the Argive period (3,700 years), then Iberian (2,500 years), Roman (2,000 years), and finally Andalusian (and thus Muslim) 850 years ago.

The ceramics from the Iberian period and the Roman columns particularly appealed to me. But it was the representation of the Arab palace from the Andalusian era that impressed me the most: it felt almost like being in Granada!

Unfortunately, little remains of the splendor of this castle, with its arched gates and refreshing patios with their gardens, ponds, and fountains.

After the visit, the museum guide asks us:

Here we go! On the way, a family joins us, and so a mother and her daughter increase the size of our group. We help them sneak under the metal barriers >, and climb a rickety metal staircase, the handrail having been stolen.

I am quite disappointed upon arrival: the site is a pigsty, shards of glass litter the ground wherever I look. Nevertheless, we continue, happy not to suffer from vertigo ... The ground we walk on with caution is a real Swiss cheese! Large sections have collapsed, revealing Roman walls, and some arches were still perfectly visible: magnificent!

We progress like this, trying to walk on the load-bearing walls, avoiding the holes of the Roman ruins and the food storages (true wells of a frightening depth) to reach the next stairs towards Christ ... The only small problem is that the next steps are 3-4 meters above our heads! We have no thousand solutions: climb or give up. You can guess the rest!

In the meantime, we guide the mother and her daughter back to the path, holding the stairs so it doesn't wobble too much. They still go down on their butts, all while humming the famous Indiana Jones tune!

We return to the stairs leading to Christ and the wall to climb. I take off first, stopping halfway, thoughtful:

So we catch up to the stairs and climb up to Christ, enjoying the breathtaking view of the valley. There's not much more to see up there, except for more hidden ruins at the foot of the monument, and the Christ turning his back on us, offering a small ladder to enter from behind ... A few steps are missing, others seem to be about to give way under our feet, but we keep climbing. By the light of our iPod, we ascend the spiral staircase to explore a place where there is nothing to explore! A reminiscence of our first entrance to the Christ, in Cochabamba - which was much more impressive.

I observe this Christ and the ground on which it rests: a gaping landscape where a set of ruins hide. No wonder it is in danger of collapsing!

The time comes to descend: upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, where we had climbed up just minutes earlier, we stop to assess the situation. François decides to be the guinea pig and goes first. It takes him a few minutes to accept reality: he was stuck and could only jump down. Nothing broken, it's my turn. I choose to take the path we climbed on the way up, with François guiding my foot positioning and even catching me at the bottom, like a true gentleman.

In the end, a few scrapes, some bruises ... and a few scares as well!

Let's hope that day comes as late as possible!