Placeta Cristo de las Azucenas - Granada

Granada has several picturesque districts, worth visiting for their history and tradition. If there is one that stands out, it is the Albaizyn . The germ of this city is hidden between the narrow streets and steep slopes .

Within the confines of the ancient Alcazaba Qadima of the Ziries , we find one of the few open spaces in the area. This is the Placeta del Cristo de las Azucenas, also known as the Huerto del Carlos, or Plaza de Santa Isabel la Real.

The Placeta Cristo de las Azucenas is located behind the Palace of Dar Al-Horra and the Monastery of Santa Isabel la Real . It is surrounded by the streets of Pilar Seco, Santa Isabel la Real and Callejón de las Monjas, where the famous Arco de las Monjas (Arch of the Nuns) stands.

This open space enclave has its origins in the ancient Roman Empire, in the 1st century AD . Here was a Roman forum, a meeting place for the citizens of the time and where several administrative buildings stood. Admittedly, the Iberians used it as a necropolis a few centuries earlier, between the 7th and 1st century BC.

In the 11th century, the gardens of the mythical palace of King Badis lay in the enclave now occupied by the square. Later, in the 15th century, the palace was rebuilt and inhabited by Queen Aixa, mother of Boabdil and wife of Sultan Muley Haccen.

With the arrival of the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella founded the Monastery of Santa Isabel la Real, mainly because of the symbolic importance of the place. The order took the building into use in 1504 and until the eviction of Mendizábal in 1835 it enjoyed exclusive use of the beautiful and fertile orchard. The orchard was surrounded by walled walls and cypress trees . It had a large pool at the Aljibe del Rey (King's Cistern). From this cistern a large canal ran through the orchard , with small ditches distributing the water to all corners of the garden. It was surrounded by all kinds of fruit trees, and with the arrival of spring, the sight of it was a delight to the senses.

The orchard continued to be used until the second half of the 20th century. Its nickname "El huerto del Carlos" (the orchard of Carlos) is due to the son of the porters who, at the beginning of the 20th century, guarded the monastery and took care of the beautiful orchard. According to experts, the garden was a real orchard.

Willem Vandenameele